Potential Threat in Control of Hospital Infections Associated with Mobile Phones in Healthcare Setting

This study was conducted to determine microbial contamination of mobile phones in Headworkers of the Rasool Akram hospital, in Tehran,Iran, and identify the most important microbial species associated with these phones .

 The analysis of a total of 130 samples was done to identify fungal and bacteria isolates. Sterile swabs were firmly passed on the handset, the buttons and the screens of mobile phones, and then inoculated into media of bacteria and fungi. Frequency distributions of isolates were calculated.

There were 34 isolated of the following bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus spp, and Enterobacter aerogenes at the rate of 23.5%,23.5%,2.9%,23.5% and 11.7%, respectively. There were 3 fungal isolates as follows: Aspergillus fumigatus, candidia spp .

The study showed that all mobile phones under consideration were infected by several microbes, most of which belonged to the natural flora of the human body as well as airborne fungi and soil. This means that it is necessary to sterilize hands after contact with a phone since it is a source of disease transmission.