A study of the bacterial contamination in the household bathroom / Nor Ashikin Ramlan

Changes in lifestyle and living environment had lead to the arising of a new problem such as recurrent of infectious diseases, allergies and so on. The level and diversification of microorganisms found in a certain environment can be affected by the human activities. Microorganisms such as bacteria are found everywhere in the living environment including in the household. In household area such as bathroom is frequently thought as an unsanitary site since the environment tend to be damp. Thus, in this study several sites in bathroom were selected to isolate the potential pathogenic bacteria found in the household bathroom. The aims of this study are to isolate and identify the potential pathogenic bacteria from household bathroom and also to determine the most frequent bacteria isolate from the bathroom. Fives household in Puncak Alam area were selected for the study where sample from toilet seat, floor and sink of each households were collected for isolation of bacteria. While collected samples in the households, a pre sampling survey with respect to hygiene were distributed. The study found that floor area from household bathroom had higher rate of contamination which was 100% compared to toilet seat and sink (80%). Among the bacteria contaminants isolated, Staphylococcus epidermidis had the highest prevalence (40%), followed by Enterobacter spp. (27%), Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae (20%) respectively, Staphylococcus saprophyticus (13%), while Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter spp. had the least prevalence (7%). The findings of the present study can be used to identify areas of potentially higher bacterial contamination and highlight the significance of a proper hygiene and sanitation practices in the homes to promote health.