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Your voice isn’t the only thing transmitted on yourmobile phone! Germs are being transmitted too

Mobile phones not just transmit voice but germs too!

Original Research • doi:10.4328/JCAM.5926 • Published: January 1, 2019

Authors

Salman Sarfraz Khokhar1, Jayakumar Subramaniam1, Majed Gorayan Alrowaili2, Mohamed Soliman1, Amjed Naeem Alrawili3, Sultan Theyab Mannaa Alshammri3, Hind Hamd3, Malek Ramadan Alenzi3
Affiliations

1Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia.

2Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia.

3Sixth Year Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia.

Corresponding Author

Jayakumar Subramaniam

drjkmicro@gmail.com

+966 53 668 7576

Abstract

AimMobile phones and its usage are inevitable in this tech-savvy medical setup. Their use in the healthcare settings represents a potential source of spreading microorganisms that may contribute to hospital-acquired infections. In recent years much concern has been expressed over the frequent use of these devices by healthcare workers and clinical medical students even in washrooms that can serve as a vector for transmitting pathogens to the patients.
MethodThis cross-sectional study identified microbiological contamination of mobile phones used by clinical medical students at Northern Border University (NBU), Arar, Saudi Arabia.
ResultsOut of 110 mobile phones screened, 99(90%) were contaminated. The most abundant isolates include coagulase-negative Staphylococci 26 (24 %) followed by Staphylococcus aureus 20 (18%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 6 (5.4%) and Escherichia coli 2 (1.8%). Seventy-five (68%) of Gram-positive bacilli were isolated.
ConclusionOur study indicates that mobile phones can serve as reservoirs of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms. To reduce the risk of cross-contamination proper guidelines of hand hygiene; restricted use of mobile devices during clinical working hours and frequent decontamination of these devices and awareness of its usage should be promoted.

Keywords

hospital-acquired infections mobile phones microbial contamination microbial resistance hand hygiene medical students Saudi Arabia

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About This Article

Received:
June 8, 2018
Accepted:
August 28, 2018
Published Online:
September 4, 2018
Printed:
January 1, 2019