Bacterial Contamination of Public Park Benches During Winter in Tripoli, Libya: A Comparison Between Shaded and Sun-Exposed Surfaces
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65405/3krhzf48الكلمات المفتاحية:
Public park benches; Bacterial contamination; Environmental surfaces; Sunlight exposure; Public healthالملخص
Public park benches are frequently used public surfaces that may harbor microorganisms originating from human contact and environmental sources. This cross-sectional study was conducted during the winter of 2026 in public parks located in the Al Dahra and Zawiat Al Dahmani districts of central Tripoli, Libya, to compare bacterial contamination between shaded and sun-exposed park bench surfaces. Samples were collected during January 2026. A total of 50 surface swab samples were collected from 25 benches located in five public parks. Samples were cultured on Nutrient Agar, Mannitol Salt Agar, and MacConkey Agar, and bacterial isolates were characterized using conventional culture methods, Gram staining, and basic biochemical tests. Bacterial growth was detected in 84% of shaded surface samples compared with 64% of sun-exposed surface samples. Overall, bacterial growth was recovered from at least one sampled surface on 92% of the benches examined. Semi-quantitative assessment indicated greater contamination levels on shaded surfaces. Staphylococcus spp. and Micrococcus spp. were the predominant bacterial groups recovered, while Gram-positive bacteria accounted for most isolates. Although the difference in culture positivity between shaded and sun-exposed surfaces was not statistically significant (p = 0.196), shaded surfaces consistently showed higher contamination levels. The findings suggest that environmental conditions, particularly sunlight exposure, may influence bacterial persistence on outdoor public surfaces.
التنزيلات
المراجع
Bloomfield SF, Aiello AE, Cookson B, O’Boyle C, Larson EL. 2007. The effectiveness of hand hygiene procedures in reducing the risks of infections in home and community settings. American Journal of Infection Control, 35(10):S27–S64.
Boone SA, Gerba CP. 2007. Significance of fomites in the spread of respiratory and enteric viral disease. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 73(6):1687–1696.
Cheesbrough M. (2006). District Laboratory Practice in Tropical Countries, Part 2 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, united Kingdom : Cambridge University Press.
Dawson B, Trapp RG. (2004). Basic and Clinical Biostatistics. 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill.
Flores GE, Bates ST, Knights D, Lauber CL, Stombaugh J, Knight R, Fierer N. 2011. Microbial biogeography of public restroom surfaces. PLoS ONE. 6(11):e28132.
Forbes BA, Sahm DF, Weissfeld AS. (2007). Bailey & Scott's Diagnostic Microbiology. 12th ed.St Louis,Mo: Mosby Elsevier.
Kramer A, Schwebke I, Kampf G. (2006). How long do nosocomial pathogens persist on inanimate surfaces? A systematic review. BMC Infectious Diseases, 6:130.
Lax S, Smith DP, Hampton-Marcell J, Owens SM, Handley KM, Scott NM, Gibbons SM, Larsen P, Shogan BD, Weiss S, Metcalf JL, Ursell LK, Vázquez-Baeza Y, Van Treuren W, Hasan NA, Gibson MK, Colwell R, Dantas G, Knight R, Gilbert JA. 2014. Longitudinal analysis of microbial interaction between humans and the indoor environment. Science. 345(6200):1048–1052.
Leff JW, Fierer N. 2013. Bacterial communities associated with outdoor environmental surfaces. PLoS ONE, 8(3): e59310.
Madigan MT, Bender KS, Buckley DH, Sattley WM, Stahl DA. (2018). Brock Biology of Microorganisms. (15th ed) . New York,NY: Pearson.
Reynolds KA, Watt PM, Boone SA, Gerba CP. (2005). Occurrence of bacteria and biochemical markers on public surfaces. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 15(3):225–234.
Rusin P, Maxwell S, Gerba C. (2002). Comparative surface-to-hand and fingertip-to-mouth transfer efficiency of gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and phage. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 93(4):585–592.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2003). Basic Laboratory Procedures in Clinical Bacteriology. (2nd ed) Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organisation.
