Bacterial ecology and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Gram-negative bacilli from the hospital environment of the University Hospital Centers of Benin

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a major global health threat, one that is exacerbated in sub-Saharan Africa by systemic shortcomings in hospital hygiene. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in six University Teaching Hospitals in Benin, with the aim of mapping multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) present in the clinical environment and assessing the vectors of their spread.A total of 588 samples were collected from various environmental and clinical surfaces. More than half (54.08%) yielded GNB isolates, with a predominance of Pseudomonas spp. (23.7%) and Klebsiella spp. (18.3%). Multidrug resistance rates reached 91.3%, with a pan-resistance rate of 3.29%. High levels of resistance were observed against third-generation cephalosporins (100%), carbapenems (> 90%), and aminoglycosides (> 70%). The most contaminated surfaces included sinks (90%), staff gowns (76.47%), and surfaces (61.33%).Disinfection procedures proved largely ineffective, with similar positivity rates between disinfected sites (56.15%) and non-disinfected ones (57.51%).These findings highlight the massive presence of multidrug-resistant strains in the hospital environment in Benin and the urgent need to strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) practices, particularly in critical care units. The study also reveals serious shortcomings in cleaning protocols and calls for a revision of disinfection strategies within a One Health framework.