Potential infection hazards of stethoscopes.

This study was conducted to assess the bacterial flora carried on stethoscopes used by medical personnel and to study the effect of disinfection of stethoscopes on the flora. In the 106 stethoscopes sampled, Gram-positive organisms were the most (60%) frequently isolated. Among them, Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 15.8% of the flora of which 21% were resistant to methicillin. The rate of isolation of S aureus and methicillin resistant S aureus (MRSA) was higher in critical care units. Disinfection was found to significantly reduce the bacterial count.