Contaminación microbiólogica en fórmulas infantiles en polvo en dos hospitales de Honduras

Abstract

Objectives. Determine the existence of pathogen contamination in powdered infant formulas (PIF) processed in the two largest public hospitals in Honduras and evaluate the processing conditions of their infant formula services (IFS). Methods. Exploratory study executed in two stages: 1) faceto- face evaluation of the processing conditions of the PIF of the two IFS; 2) Collection and analysis of the PIF samples for Cronobacter spp. and Enterobacteriaceae isolation. Results. The evaluation of the IFS showed weaknesses in different aspects such as infrastructure, storage, training and keeping records. In total, fifty samples were collected, representing five brands from six countries. Thirty eight percent of samples were collected from cans in use during sampling and 62% were collected from sealed cans. The presence of Cronobacter spp. was detected in 4% (2/50) of the total samples, one from each hospital. A PIF processing manual was prepared and delivered to each participating hospital. Conclusions. Contamination of Cronobacter spp., Klebsiella and Acinetobacter existed in two evaluated Honduran hospitals; results similar to others in Chile (5%) and Cuba (1.6%). It is necessary to implement the PIF processing manual and monitor these and other pathogenic microorganisms.