Eric S Donkor
University of Ghana
Title: A genomic infection control study for Staphylococcus aureus in two Ghanaian hospitals
Biography
Biography: Eric S Donkor
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a notorious hospital acquired pathogen and is implicated in several serious infections such as meningitis, bacteremia and pneumonia. Whole genome sequencing analysis (WGSA) provides the best resolution for typing of bacterial isolates and has the potential for identification of transmission pathways. We used WGSA to study isolates of S. aureus from the pediatric emergency ward of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Ghana where a suspected outbreak had recently occurred. The dominant clone of S. aureus identified among the isolates was sequence (ST) 15. The genomics data indicated cross contamination of multiple surfaces in the emergency ward by multiple lineages of ST 15 with the door handle of the ward implicated as a potential transmission route. The data also suggests that ST 15 is widely disseminated at KBTH, as it was found in multiple infections in the hospital (during the period of the outbreak) that were unrelated to the transmission events in the pediatric emergency ward. This investigation highlights the need for proper disinfection of environmental surfaces at KBTH.