Bacterial colonization and antimicrobial resistance in healthcare workers: an integrative review

Abstract

Objective:

To analyze the scientific evidence in the literature on microorganisms that colonize in healthcare workers and the association with antimicrobial resistance.

Methods:

Integrative review. The search for primary studies was conducted in the following information databases: National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, Scopus, and Virtual Health Library. The descriptors used were applied according to the particularities of each database and obtained through consulting the Health Sciences Descriptors and Medical Subject Headings.

Results:

The review was made up of 14 primary studies. In the analysis of the samples, the searches mainly found Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonizing in healthcare workers. Bacterial resistance to clindamycin and oxacillin was more predominant in the samples.

Conclusion:

In the studies, Staphylococcus aureus was the main colonizing bacteria in healthcare workers. The concern is that these bacteria have a strong resistance capacity to beta-lactam antibiotics.

Keywords
Health personnel; Colonization; Drug resistance, microbial