Evaluation of bacterial infection of external surface and digestive system of cockroach species

Introduction: The presence of cockroaches has health implications, such as nosocomial infection, as the insects move freely from areas within and around hospitals that may harbor pathogenic organisms. The aims of the present study were to detect cockroach species and bacterial infection transmitted by their surface and their digestive system. Methods: In this study we caught 250 cockroach from hospital of Hamedan. We hunt them with hand, glass trap and sticky trap. Then they have been carried to bacteriology lab. After anesthesia and washing in 2cc physiology serum, their gut have been expelled from oral to anal and cultured. In this study we used E.M.B,T.S.I, DNAase, B.A, SF,SS, ONPG, MR, SIM, Mnitol sult agar, Lysin, Simmon citrate and Urea as bacterial culture methods. Results: In this study we recognized 4 species of cockroaches from hospitals of Hamedan: Periplaneta americana, Periplaneta australasiae, Blatta orientalis Blatella germanica. The most frequent one was Periplaneta americana, (88%) and just 0.8% were Blatta orientalis (the least frequency). 23 species of bacteria recognized from surface and digestive system or cockroaches. In surface of them, Escherichia coli had 26.5%(the most frequency) and Edward siella had 0.4% (the least frequency). In digestive system E.coli had 30.8% (the most frequency) and Morganella morgani had 0.8% (the least percent). Conclusion: Tour study determined that cockroaches play as potential vectors of medically important microorganisms such as pathogenic bacteria in hospital environments. Integrated management of cockroach populations should be carried out into the disease prevention and control programs in hospitals.