Drug-resistant bacteria found in air at Johannesburg clinic
A University of Johannesburg study found that 96.3% of the Gram-positive bacteria tested from a crowded high-rise clinic were resistant to multiple types of antibiotics. The researchers said the study covered one clinic and did not show that patients were infected.
The study appeared in the journal Indoor Air. Researchers took air samples in 40 areas of the clinic in central Johannesburg. They also grew 77 moulds from the air, and 22 were different enough to be identified by DNA testing.
Among Gram-negative bacteria, 85.7% were resistant to cefuroxime and 67.5% to ceftazidime. Some 31.2% of bacteria were resistant to ertapenem and 26% to meropenem. About 3.9% of Gram-negative bacteria were extensively drug-resistant. More than 85% of Eskape bacteria in the neonatal intensive care unit were multidrug-resistant.
Lead author Dr Lee Heine, of the university's Water and Health Research Centre, said the findings are concerning given South Africa's high rates of HIV and TB. She said resistance to antibiotics is rising for all bacteria in South Africa and worldwide. Heine called for air quality monitoring to become routine in infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities.
The researchers said the findings cannot be assumed to reflect conditions at all healthcare facilities. They also said unreliable water supplies are a challenge, because shortages can affect disinfection and infection prevention.
Key facts
- Who
- Lee Heine (lead author of the UJ study and researcher at UJ's Water and Health Research…); Tobias Barnard (director of UJ Water and Health Research Centre (co-author of related study)); University of Johannesburg (institution of the researchers)
- What
- A UJ study published in the journal Indoor Air found multidrug-resistant bacteria and moulds in the air of a crowded high-rise Johannesburg clinic, raising concern about risks to vulnerable patients. The researchers cautioned the study covered a single clinic and did not establish that the bacteria infected patients.
- When
- 28 October 2026
- Where
- Johannesburg, central Johannesburg
- Status
- Reported