Superbug Bacteria In Hospitals Survive Despite Rigorous Cleaning: Study

New Delhi: Despite rigorous cleaning, dangerous bacteria are lurking in hospital sink drains leading to a rise in "health-care-associated infections" (HAI), according to a study on Friday.

HAIs thrive in patients with weak immune systems, and in some hospitals due to poor adherence to hygiene protocols. These infections have become a growing problem worldwide, taking up an estimated 6 per cent of global hospital budgets, said the study. Widely used antibiotics also contribute to the problem, selecting hardy, resistant strains of bacteria. When such resistance genes lie on mobile genetic elements, they can even jump between bacterial species, potentially leading to novel diseases.

"Here we show that hospital sink drains host bacterial populations that change over time, despite impeccable cleaning protocols in the particular hospital we looked at," said Dr Margarita Gomila, Professor at the University of the Balearic Islands in Spain.