National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
This study aimed to examine the presence of bacterial contaminants on the surfaces of mobile phones that are used frequently by health care providers and patient attendants. A cross sectional study was carried out on 96 mobile phones used by doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and patient attendants. Each participant’s mobile phone was swabbed aseptically by rotating damp cotton swabs with sterile normal saline over the screen, sides, and back. Isolated microorganisms were identified using gram stain, colony morphology, catalase, coagulase reactions and appropriate biochemicals. Of the 96 mobile phones tested, 82 (85.4%) showed bacterial growth from which 163 organisms were isolated. Mixed infections were seen in 64 (66.7%) mobiles and pure growth was observed in 18(18.8%) mobiles. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (31.9%) were the predominant isolated followed by Micrococcus (20.8%) and Staphylococcus aureus (14.7%). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were isolated in 6.1% and the treating doctors had maximum burden (70%) of MRSA isolated. With the rampant use of mobile phones in healthcare settings their chances of being vehicle of transmitting pathogens especially the multidrug resistant ones has increased many fold. Isolation of MRSA and Gram-negative bacteria from mobile phones of clinicians treating patients is of a major concern, and calls for efforts to consider guidelines for mobile phone disinfection and its restricted use.
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