Exploring the Safety and Hygiene of Enteral Tube Feedings by 16S rRNA Based Sequencing: A Risk Factor in Healthful Nutrition

The enteral tube feeding (ETF) delivery system comprises a key therapeutic tool for preventing the development of malnutrition in hospitalized patients. The microbial composition of ETFs fulfills a crucial role in patient’s health, particularly for those who are immunocompromised. The present study aimed to assess the bacterial quality of handmade ETF samples collected from the Imam Reza Hospital of Tabriz, Iran. In total, 45 samples were collected from the ETF preparation kitchen. The bacterial compositions of the samples (counts of total mesophilic bacteria (TMB), Enterobacter spp., and Pseudomonas spp.) were examined by common microbiological methods. The molecular characterization of the isolated strains was performed via 16S rRNA gene sequencing after PCR amplification. The examination of the ETF samples indicated that no sample had zero TMB count, while 57 % (26/45) of the ETF samples had ≥ 10⁴ colony forming units (CFU) of TMB, ≥ 10² CFU of Enterobacter spp., ≥ 10 CFU of Klebsiella pneumonia, and ≥ 10³ CFU of Pseudomonas species. This study reveals that ETFs must achieve a more acceptable level of microbial quality through the implementation of rigorous health principles coupled with continuous monitoring.