Abstract

HERNANDEZ-CHAVARRIA, Francisco; ALVARADO, Karina  and  MADRIGAL, Warren. Microorganismos presentes en el reverso de las uñas de trabajadores de la salud, Hospital Max Peralta, Cartago, Costa Rica. Rev. costarric. cienc. méd [online]. 2003, vol.24, n.1-2, pp.45-51. ISSN 0253-2948.

Hand cleansing remain the most effective and least expensive measure to prevent transmission of nosocomial infections; however, it is a practical that sometimes is neglected and permits the establishment of bacteria in fingernails, that could acts as a reservoir for those agents. For that reason, the aim of this study was the evaluation of the microflora of subungual region in health care workers from Costa Rican hospital. Culture obtained from 46 health workers from the material took under their subungual region; which was inoculated on blood agar. From 48% of these persons were isolated at least one microorganism. The most frequent agent cultured was Staphylococcus (12% S. aureus 24%, S. epidermidis and 22% S. warneri), that correspond to the 75% of the isolations; also, 3 strains of Candida (C. tropicalis, C. guillermondi and C. parapsilopsis) were cultivated. These data reaffirm the importance of conscientious hand cleansing to preventn osocomial infections.

Keywords : Fingernails microflora; hand cleansing.