en Environmental Health, Sciences, and Engineering Environmental Health, Sciences, and Engineering پژوهشي Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height:1;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b><span style="color:black">Background:</span></b><span style="color:black"> Bacterial contamination of the Gynecology ward is a public health concern because it is the primary cause of nosocomial infections in postpartum moms and one of the primary risk factors for sepsis in newborns. This study evaluated the bacterial contamination of fomites, nostrils, and palms of healthcare workers in the Gynecology ward.</span><br> <b><span style="color:black">Methods:</span></b><span style="color:black"> A total of 244 samples were collected and cultured on Blood, Mannitol salt, and MacConkey agar. Standard biochemical tests were carried out to characterize the organisms. Antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the isolates were carried out using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method.</span><br> <b><span style="color:black">Results:</span></b><span style="color:black"> Out of the 244 samples, 95(38.93%) yielded bacterial growth. Of these, 75 isolates (40.76%) were isolated from fomites, while 20 (33.33%) were isolated from the palms of hands and nostrils of healthcare workers. The most common bacterial isolate was <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (46 isolates 48.42%), whereas the least common was <i>Streptococcus</i> <i>spp</i>. (1isolates 1.05%). The Gram-negative bacterial isolates were resistant to Ceftriaxone, Cefuroxime, Cotrimoxazole, and Ceftazidine. The Gram-positive bacterial isolates were resistant to Ampicillin, Ciprofloxacin, Augmentin, Ceftazidine, and Cephalexin. </span><br> <b><span style="color:black">Conclusion:</span></b><span style="color:black"> This study revealed the presence of bacterial pathogens on fomites and within the nostrils of healthcare workers in the Gynecology ward, </span>underscoring the necessity for regular monitoring of bacterial contamination in these environments.</span></span></span></div> Bacterial, Surfaces, Healthcare workers, Contamination, Isolates, 162 167 http://jhehp.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-484-3&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Ebubechi Uloma Okey-kalu ulomamgbeokwere@yahoo.com 100319475328460015574 100319475328460015574 Yes Department of Applied Microbiology and Brewery, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. Ikechukwu Okoli ik.okoli@unizik.edu.ng 100319475328460015575 100319475328460015575 No Department of Applied Microbiology and Brewery, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria.