Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2014 Jun;4(2):135-40.
doi: 10.1016/j.jegh.2013.11.002. Epub 2013 Dec 31.

Nosocomial pathogens associated with the mobile phones of healthcare workers in a hospital in Anyigba, Kogi state, Nigeria

E O Nwankwo  1 , N Ekwunife  2 , K C Mofolorunsho  2
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Nosocomial pathogens associated with the mobile phones of healthcare workers in a hospital in Anyigba, Kogi state, Nigeria

E O Nwankwo et al. J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Mobile phones of healthcare workers (HCWs) could be colonized by potential bacteria pathogens. The aim of this research is to evaluate the bacterial contamination and antibiotic sensitivity pattern of isolates from mobile phones of HCWs in Grimad hospital.

Method: A total of 112 swab samples were collected from the mobile phones of HCWs and students in June 2012 in Anyigba. While 56 samples were from HCWs in Grimad hospital, 56 samples were obtained from non-healthcare workers (NHCWs) who served as the control. The samples were all screened for bacterial pathogens by standard bacteriological procedures. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by the disc diffusion technique.

Results: The rate of bacterial contamination of mobile phones of HCWs was 94.6%. Bacteria isolated from mobile phones of HCWs were more resistant to antibiotics than NHCWs phones. Staphylococcus Epidermidis (42.9%) was the most frequently isolated bacteria followed by Bacillus spp. (32.1%), Staphylococcus Aureus (25%), Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (19.6%), Escherichia Coli (14.3%), Streptococcus spp. (14.3%), Proteus spp. (12.5%), Klebsiella spp. (7.1%), and Acinetobacter spp. (5.3%). Cotrimoxazole, ampicillin and tetracycline showed high levels of resistance while gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone exhibited encouraging results.

Conclusion: The presence of bacteria pathogens associated with nosocomial infection was identified. Transmission of pathogens can be reduced by hand hygiene and regular cleaning of mobile phones.

Keywords: Antibiotic susceptibility; Healthcare workers; Mobile phones; Nosocomial pathogens.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Brady RR, Wasson A, Stirling I, McAllister C, Damani NN. Is your phone bugged? The incidence of bacteria known to cause nosocomial infection on healthcare workers’ mobile phones. J Hosp Infect. 2006;62:123–5. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2005.05.005. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kennedy KJ, Dreimanis DE, Beckingham WD, Bowden FJ. Staphylococcus aureus and stethoscopes. Med J Aust. 2003;178:468. - PubMed
    1. Schultz M, Gill J, Zubairi S, Huber R, Gordin F. Bacterial contamination of computer keyboards in a teaching hospital. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2003;24:302–3. doi: 10.1086/502200. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ekrakene T, Igeleke CL. Micro-organisms associated with public mobile phones along Benin-sapele Express Way, Benin City, Edo State of Nigeria. J Appl Sci Res. 2007;3(12):2009–12.
    1. Hendley JO, Wenzel RP, Gwaltney JMJ. Transmission of rhinovirus colds by self-inoculation. N Engl J Med. 1997;288:1361–664. doi: 10.1056/nejm197306282882601. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms