Bacterial Contamination and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Healthcare Workers' Mobile Phones in Hospitals at Khartoum City
Mansour Awad Mansour EL Jelani
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, National University, Sudan.
Husham M Taha Aloob
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Dongla University, Sudan.
Samia S Mohamed Ismail
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dongla University, Sudan.
Amira H Arman
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dongla University, Sudan.
Ahmed AbdElhadi Abdlhamed Ibrahem
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Dongla University, Sudan.
Abdelhakam H. Ali *
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical laboratory Sciences, University of Al Butana, Sudan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Mobile phones used by healthcare workers (HCWs) have emerged as potential reservoirs for pathogens, posing a risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of bacterial contamination on HCWs' mobile phones, determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, and compare findings with global data.
Methods: We collected swabs from 94 mobile phones of HCWs across two hospitals in Khartoum. We identified bacterial isolates using standard microbiological techniques and evaluated antimicrobial resistance using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.
Results: Bacterial contamination appeared in 93.6% of mobile phones. Gram-positive bacteria, such as Coagulase-negative staphylococci (36%) and S. aureus (31.8%) were prevalent. Gram-negative organisms were isolated. The predominant organisms were Klebsiella pneumoniae 15 (37%) isolates followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 12 (30%) isolates, Proteus mirabilis 5 (12%) isolates, Acintobacter baumannii 4 (10%), Enterobacter spp 3(8%) and Escherichia coli 1 (3%). Antimicrobial susceptibility tests revealed high resistance to penicillin among Gram-positive isolates. The tests revealed no multidrug-resistant (MDR) or extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production.
Conclusion: HCWs' mobile phones represent a critical vector for bacterial transmission in hospitals. Stringent infection control measures and regular disinfection should mitigate the associated risks.
Keywords: Bacterial contamination, hospital environment, healthcare workers, cell phone, nosocomial infections