The College of Pharmacy at the University of Basrah discussed its master’s thesis (The presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in maternity halls and their relationship to disinfectants).
Researcher Alaa Muhammad Mahmoud’s dissertation included a study on isolating bacteria from the vaginas of pregnant and non-pregnant women and identifying the resistance of these bacteria to antibiotics.
The thesis aims to know the relationship between bacteria isolated from pregnant women and those isolated from maternity wards in Basra hospitals (Basra Teaching Hospital, Al-Mawane Teaching Hospital, and Basra Women’s and Children’s Hospital), as well as knowing the appropriate dilution ratios for the disinfectants used to sterilize these halls. Is there a relationship between bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics and their resistance to disinfectants?
The letter found that the dilution rates did not match the rates recommended by disinfectant companies. The letter also found bacteria inside the maternity rooms resistant to most antibiotics.
The letter mentioned in its recommendations the need to conduct an antibiotic sensitivity test before dispensing treatment to the patient. It also stressed the need to train workers inside maternity rooms on the types of disinfectants and how to dilute and deal with them, and the need to have filters to sterilize water inside hospitals.