Matseti Sai Vamshi Krishna1 , T. Jaya Chandra2
BACKGROUND The white coat to medical profession is like skin to a human. It plays an important role in spreading nosocomial infections, as it may become contaminated with bacteria that could spread to patients. This study was undertaken to find the flora on white coats among the health care workers. METHODS This study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, GSL Medical College. The study participants were divided into four groups: students, interns, post graduates (PGs) and faculty. Participants white coat was sampled using two salinemoistened swabs. The first swab was taken from the cuff and second from the pocket mouth and processed in microbiology laboratory for culture and sensitivity testing. RESULTS Total 60 samples were collected, 15 from each group. Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase negative Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas species, Klebsiella species, E. coli were isolated. Maximum microorganisms were isolated from PGs followed by interns, faculty and students. No significant drug resistance was detected. CONCLUSIONS Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant organism isolated from the white coats. Gender wise, statistically there was no significant difference among the isolates. The isolates showed good sensitivity for the commonly used antibiotics.
