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Commentary: Ulger F et al. (2009). Are we aware how contaminated our mobile phones with nosocomial pathogens?
Author(s) -
Gould Dinah
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
nursing in critical care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.689
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1478-5153
pISSN - 1362-1017
DOI - 10.1111/j.1478-5153.2009.00345.x
Subject(s) - contamination , medicine , ceftazidime , clinical microbiology , mobile genetic elements , microbiology and biotechnology , intensive care unit , bacteria , biology , intensive care medicine , pseudomonas aeruginosa , ecology , biochemistry , genetics , genome , gene
Background: The objective of this study was to determine the contamination rate of the health care workers’ (HCWs) mobile phones and hands in operating room and intensive care unit (ICU). Micro‐organisms from HCWs hands could be transferred to the surfaces of the mobile phones during their use. Methods: Two hundred HCWs were screened; samples from the hands of 200 participants and 200 mobile phones were cultured. Results: In total, 94·5% of phones demonstrated evidence of bacterial contamination with different types of bacteria. The Gram‐negative strains isolated from mobile phones were 31·3%, and the ceftazidime‐resistant strains from the hands were 39·5%. Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from mobile phones of 52% and those strains isolated from hands of 37·7% were methicillin resistant. Distributions of the isolated micro‐organisms from mobile phones were similar to those from hands isolates. Some mobile phones were contaminated with nosocomial important pathogens. Conclusion: These results showed that HCWs hands and their mobile phones were contaminated with various types of micro‐organisms. Mobile phones used by HCWs in daily practice may be a source of nosocomial infections in hospitals. Abstract reprinted from Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials, volume 8, Ulger F et al., ‘Are we aware how contaminated our mobile phones with nosocomial pathogens?’, doi:10.1186/1476‐0711‐8‐7. © 2009, reproduced with permission from BioMed Central Ltd.