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Document Type |
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Thesis |
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Document Title |
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MOLECULAR DETECTION OF RESPIRATORY PATHOGENS AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS DURING HAJJ SEASON الكشف الجزيئي لمسببات الأمراض التنفسية بين العاملين في الرعاية الصحية خلال موسم الحج |
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Subject |
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Faculty of Sciences |
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Document Language |
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Arabic |
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Abstract |
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Millions of Muslims from around the world visit Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj and Umrah. The crowding index of pilgrims in Makkah and the holy places are a good reservoir to transmit different respiratory pathogens among the pilgrims and healthcare workers (HCWs) during the Hajj season. The aim of this study was to identify the presence and significance of bacteria and viruses in the upper respiratory tract of healthcare workers (HCWs) during Hajj and evaluate the effectiveness of personal protective equipment (PPE) and work practices in reducing those agents. Nasopharyngeal samples were collected from HCWs, 308 and 120 samples for pre- and post-Hajj; respectively. They were tested for the presence of 33 respiratory tract pathogens using real time RT-PCR. A total 14124 PCRs were performed. The prevalence of pathogens detected increased from 45.8% before Hajj to 50.8% after Hajj. In particular, the prevalence of viruses and bacteria increased, from 9.88% and 35.91% before the Hajj to 14.59% and 36.2% after the Hajj, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus was found to be the most prevalent in the nasal carriages among the HCWs in the pre- and post-Hajj samples, while human rhinovirus was the most prevalent viral pathogen detected among the studied group in the pre- and post-Hajj samples. Pathogens detection in the pre-Hajj samples were significantly associated with age groups, jobs, and the use of antibiotics during the last six months, hand sanitizers, direct contact of the HCW with patients and patients’ blood (p=0.035, 0.027, 0.018, 0.030, 0.046 and 0.007), receptively. The use of personal protective equipment during the Hajj to had a protective effect on HCWs involved. Using (gloves, face masks, goggles, hand sanitizers, hand washing after dealing with patients and after dealing with samples) decreased the risks of acquiring the infection as compared to those who did not use them. The low prevalence of influenza virus in the recruited subject may be due to the obligatory flu vaccination program implemented by the Ministry of Health to all HCWs participating in the Hajj healthcare services. In conclusion, S. aureus was the most prevalent in nasal carriage in the studied population. This finding might increase the risk of nosocomial transmission. Vaccination and the use of personal protective equipment provided a protective effect to HCWs against acquiring respiratory infections. Intensive training program for the HCWs on infection control should be implemented before Hajj season on annual basis. |
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Supervisor |
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Dr. Saad Berke Al-Masaudi |
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Thesis Type |
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Master Thesis |
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Publishing Year |
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1440 AH
2018 AD |
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Co-Supervisor |
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Prof. Esam Ibraheem Azhar |
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Added Date |
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Thursday, October 25, 2018 |
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Researchers
| ندى فهد الوذيناني | Al-Wathinani, Nada Fahad | Researcher | Master | |
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