Improper treatment of hospital wastes is currently attracting considerable attention due to their infectious and hazardous nature. This study assessed the generation, composition, isolation and identification of bacteria in waste from a tertiary hospital in Abeokuta, Southwestern Nigeria. The quantity of waste generated daily in the hospital was determined for 4 months (2 months each in wet and dry seasons). The wastes were later segregated and categorized into general, infectious, highly infectious, pharmaceutical, pathological, chemical and sharp waste in line with the World Health Organization specifications. Samples of hospital wastes from six selected sections within the hospital were collected and subjected to microbiological examinations. The microorganisms isolated from the waste were identified using deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction and sequencing. The total quantity of waste generated in the hospital during the study period was 13,101.32 kg (6894.92 and 6206.40 kg for wet and dry seasons, respectively). The waste generated per day was 106.51 kg, whereas the quantity of waste generated per bed per day and the quantity of waste generated per patient per day were 0.35 and 0.24 kg, respectively. The DNA extraction and sequencing confirmed the presence of Alcaligenes faecalis, Lysinibacillus fusiformis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus thuringiensis in the hospital waste. Wastes generated in the hospital were hazardous, and physical composition and classification of the medical waste did not vary with season.
AbahSOOhimainEI (2011) Health care waste management in Nigeria: A case study. Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology3: 99–110.
2.
Abd El-SalamMM (2010) Hospital waste management in El-Beheira Governorate, Egypt. Journal of Environmental Management91: 618–629.
3.
Afesi-DeiCAppiah-BrempongMAwuahE (2023) Health-care waste management practices: The case of Ho Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Heliyon9: 1–11.
4.
AhmedNOGasmelseedGAMusaAE (2014) Assessment of Medical Solid waste management in Khartoum State hospital. Journal of Applied and Industrial Sciences2: 201–205.
5.
AjbarElGueririSEl MansouriFAchemlalF, et al. (2023) Healthcare waste characteristics and management in regional hospital and private clinic. Global Journal of Environmental Science Management9: 805–818.
6.
AlagözAZKocasoyG (2008) Determination of the best appropriate management methods for the health-care wastes in İstanbul. Waste Management28: 1227–1235.
7.
AlwabrGMAAl-MikhlafiASAl-HakimiSA, et al. (2016) Identification of bacteria and fungi in the solid waste generated in hospitals of Sana’a City, Yemen. Current Life Sciences2: 67–71.
8.
Al-SaediZZTaibSM (2024) Ecological impact, management and disposal methods for medical waste: A review. Journal of Ecological Engineering25: 25–40.
9.
AnicetusHSariaJMohamedH (2020) Estimation of different categories of healthcare waste generation of two different hospital categories in five hospitals in Dar es Salam City. Journal of Environmental Protection11: 872–888.
10.
AnithaJJayraajIA (2012) Isolation and identification of bacteria from biomedical waste (BMW). International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences4: 386–388.
11.
ArbourNCLorenzESchutteBC, et al. (2000) TLR4 mutations are associated with endotoxic hypo responsiveness in humans. National Genetics25: 187–191.
12.
ArnoldR (2015) Studies on generation of biomedical solid waste from healthcare units in Rewa (Madhya Pradesh). World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research4:842–836.
13.
AwodeleOAdewoyeAAOparahAC (2016) Assessment of medical waste management in seven hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria. Biomed Central Public Health16: 269.
14.
BazrafshanEMostafapoorK (2011) Survey of medical waste characterization and management in Iran: A case study of Sistan and Baluchestan Province. Waste Management and Research29: 442–450.
15.
BiggelMJessbergerNKovacJ, et al. (2022) Recent paradigm shift in the perception of the role of Bacillus thuringiensis in food borne disease. Food Microbiology105: 104025.
16.
BouzaESan JuanRMunozP, et al. (2001) European perspective on nosocomial urinary tract infections. I report on the microbiology work load, etiology and antimicrobial susceptibility (ESGNI- 003 study) European study group on nosocomial infections. Clinical Microbiology of Infection7: 523–531.
17.
BradyMTLeberA (2017) Less commonly Encountered Nonenteric Gram- Negative Bacilli Etiologic Agents of Infectious Diseases. pp.856–862.
18.
BradyMTLeberA (2017) Less commonly encountered nonenteric gram-negative bacilli. In Principles and practice of pediatric infectious diseases. Elsevier Inc, pp. 855–859.
19.
DebereMKGelayeKAAlamdoAG, et al. (2013) Assessment of the health care waste generation rates and its management system in hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. BMC Public Health13: 28.
20.
DjordjevicZFolicMMZivicZ, et al. (2013) Nosocomial urinary tract infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter species: Sensitivity to antibiotics and risk factors. American Journal of Infectious Control41: 1182–1187.
21.
ElyaTBBabikerBA (2013) Assessment of medical waste management in Port Sudan Teaching Hospital, Sudan. International Journal of Science and Research15: 586–589.
22.
EgbenyahFUdofiaEAAyivorJ, et al. (2021) Disposal habits and microbial load of solid medical waste in sub-district healthcare facilities and households in Yilo-Krobo municipality, Ghana. PLoS One16: e0261211.
23.
EngdawDSulaimanHLetaS (2009) Determining the generation rate and composition of solid health care waste at Gondar University Ethiopia. Journal of Health and Biomedical Science1: 17-21.
24.
EzeuduOBEzeuduTSUgochukwuUC, et al. (2022) Healthcare waste management in Nigeria: A review. Recycling7: 87.
25.
FrederiksenKRosenquistHJorgensenK, et al. (2006) Occurrence of natural Bacillus thuringiensis contaminants and residue in bases insecticides on fresh fruits and vegetables. Applied Environmental Microbiology72: 3435–3440.
26.
GashawAKPittaSJiferaLD (2025) Assessment of medical waste generation, disposal practices, and health implications at Bule Hora University Teaching Hospital, West Guji, Ethiopia. Discover Health Systems4: 91.
27.
Gebremeskel KannoGNegassaBTesfaye MamoT, et al. (2021) Healthcare waste generation, composition, and management practice in Dilla University referral hospital: A cross-sectional study. Sustainable Environment7: 1988383.
28.
HagenDLAl-HumaidiFMarthinA (2001) Infectious waste surveys in Saudi Arabian Hospital. An important quality improvement tool. American Journal of Infection Control29: 198–202.
29.
HossainMSNik NorulainiNABalakrishnanV, et al. (2013) Infectious risk assessment of unsafe handling practices and management of clinical solid waste. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health10: 556–567.
30.
HossainMSSanthanANik NorulainiNA, et al. (2011) Clinical Solid waste management practices and its impact on human health and environment. Waste Management31: 754–766.
Ibáñez-CruzAJAVergara-FloriánAMEAlgonerWC (2025) Hospital solid waste management strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections from occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens and improve occupational safety. Frontiers in Public Health13: 1499463.
33.
JoshiRRaoRSainM, et al. (2020) Microbial assessment of bio medical waste from different healthcare units of Bikaner. International Journal on Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences9: 1808–1815.
34.
KagonjiSIManyeleSV (2011) Analysis of the measured waste generation rate in Tanzanian district hospitals using statistical methods. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology5: 815–833.
35.
KaposiAOroszNNaguA, et al. (2024) A comprehensive study on the factors influencing the generation of infectious healthcare waste in inpatient healthcare institutions in Hungary. Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association74: 828–841.
36.
KatochSSKumarV (2008) Modelling seasonal variation in biomedical waste generation at healthcare facilities. Waste Management Resources26: 241–246.
37.
KavuncuogluFUnalAOguzhanN, et al. (2010) First reported case of Alcaligenes faecalis peritonitis. Peritoneal Dialysis International30: 118–119.
38.
KazeemNEMangaVE (2023) An assessment of health care waste generation rates in public, faith-based, and private health facilities in Douala, Littoral Region of Cameroon. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology18: 6–20.
39.
KeiRMNjagiAN (2013) Management of health care waste: A case study of two national hospital and referral hospitals in Kenya. Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences4: 588–593.
40.
KimJBChoiOKKwonSM, et al. (2017) Prevalence of toxin characteristics of Bacillus thuringiensis isolated from organic vegetables. Journal of Microbiology Biotechnology27: 1449–1456.
41.
KocaÖ (2024) Microbiological characteristics of bacillus subtilis species and their relationship with hospital infections. In: Bacterial, Viral, Fungal and Parasitic Coinfections. IntechOpen.
42.
LarryMBushMDMariaT, et al. (2017) Streptococcal infections. Available at: www.msdmanual.com (assessed 10 October 2018).
43.
MordiRMBurkeMEOdjadjareEE, et al. (2015) Prevalence of urinary tract infections among pregnant women in University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Nigeria. Journal of Asian Science Resources5: 198–204.
44.
MordiRMYusufEOOnemuSO, et al. (2013) The prevalence of Alcaligenes faecalis in bacteremia, meningitis and wound sepsis in a tertiary health care institution in the western part of Nigeria. International Journal of Biotechnology2: 123–129.
45.
MutumAGuptaS (2017) Assessment of biomedical waste management: A case study of a hospital in Imphal City India. Journal of Environmental Biotechnology36: 632–635.
46.
MwairaPRKasevaMEManyeleSV (2021) Characterization of healthcare waste in Tanzania Zonal Referral Hospitals as a key factor for energy recovery. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology5: 349–365.
47.
NemathagaFMaringaSChimukaW (2008) Hospital solid waste management practice in Limpopo province South Africa: A case study of two hospitals. Waste Management28: 1236–1245.
48.
OkarehOT (2018) Bacteria pathogens from bed linens used in secondary and tertiary facilities in Benin City Nigeria. Journal of Microbiology and Experimentation6: 84–87.
49.
OlukanniDOAzuhDAToogunOT, et al. (2014) Medical waste management practices among selected health-care facilities in Nigeria: A case study. Scientific Research and Essays9: 431–439.
50.
OsmanAMUkundimanaZWamyilFB, et al. (2023) Solid waste generated within Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda, East Africa. Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering7: 1–7.
51.
ParkHLeeKKimM, et al. (2009) Detection and hazard assessment of pathogenic microorganisms in medical wastes. Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A44: 995–1003.
52.
PereiraMPerilliMMantengoliE, et al. (2000) PER-1 extended spectrum beta-lactamase production in an Alcaligenes faecalis clinical isolate to expanded spectrum cephalosporins and monobactams from a hospital in Northern Italy. Microbiology Drug Resistance6: 85–90.
53.
RabeieOLMiranzadehMBFallahSH, et al. (2012) Determination of hospital waste composition and management in Amol City, Iran. Journal of Health Scope1: 127–131.
54.
SainiSDasBKKapilA, et al. (2004) The study of bacterial flora of different types in hospital waste: Evaluation of waste treatment at Aims hospital, New Delhi. Journal of Bacteria, Flora Hospital Waste35: 986–989.
55.
SepetisAZazaPNRizosF, et al. (2022) Identifying and predicting healthcare waste management costs for an optimal sustainable management systems: Evidence from the Greek public sector. International Journal of Environmental Resources and Public Health19: 9821.
56.
SievertDMRicksPEdwardJR, et al. (2013) Antimicrobial resistant pathogens associated with healthcare associated infections: Summary of data reported to the National Health Care Safety Networks at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2009–2010. Infection Control in Hospitals34: 1–14.
57.
SridharMKCAyeniOB (2003) Infection potential of wastes from selected healthcare facilities in Ibadan, Nigeria. In: MartinJBunchVSureshM (eds) Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Environment and Health, Chennai, India. Chennai: Department of Geography, University of Madras and Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, pp.512–519.
58.
Suarez RivadeneiraJESuarez ChavarryEBRamirezÍM, et al. (2024) Generation rate of hospital solid waste from different services: A case study in the province of Bagua, northern Peru. Heliyon10: e31814.
59.
TangYWStrattonCW (2010) Staphylococcus aureus: An old pathogen with new weapons. Clinical Laboratory Medicine30: 179–208.
60.
TuazonCU (2000) Other Bacillus Species in Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. New York: Churchill Livingston.
61.
WahabABAdesanyaDA (2011) Medical waste generation in Hospitals and associated factors in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology3: 746–751.
62.
WiafeSNooniIKNlasiaMS, et al. (2015) Assessing clinical solid waste management strategies in Sunyani Municipality, Ghana – Evidence from three healthcare facilities. International Journal of Environment and Pollution Research3: 32–52.
YakubuZMBelloIMTsiga-AhmedF (2023) Adherence to recommended hospital waste management practices by healthcare workers at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital Kano, Nigeria. Pan African Medical Journal44: 124.
65.
YangSSugawaraSMonodareT, et al. (2001) Micrococcus leteus teichuronic acids activate human and maurine monocytic cells in a CD14 and tool like receptor 4 dependent manner. Infection and Immunity69: 2025–2030.
