Bacterial contamination of smartphones of personnel at the pathology department

Abstract

In today’s world, smartphones, as a source of mobile telephony, have become the most indispensable accessory for professional and social life. Such devices are used for a variety of tasks ranging from internet browsing to booking tickets online. Most smartphones are hand-held and, because of the progress and benefits of using such devices, it is easy for the user to overlook related health hazards. The constant handling of smartphones exposes it to an array of microorganisms and makes it a vehicle for infectious agents. This study analyses 162 smartphones of personnel working at the Pathology Department in Mater Dei Hospital (MDH). The participants were asked to fill a questionnaire on smartphone use and the smartphone disinfection practices they carry out, while their smartphone was swabbed using a sterile rayon-tipped swab moistened in sterile saline, over the surface of the smartphone. Plate Count Agar and MacConkey Agar were directly inoculated and incubated in air at 37 degrees Celsius for 48 hours, to obtain the Total Viable Count (TVC) and Total Coliform Count (TCC). These colonies were then counted using a colony counter and the TVC and TCC were recorded as Colony Forming Units (CFUs). Statistical analysis, using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was then performed to determine the relationship between the data collected from the questionnaire and the respective CFUs on the culture media. The study showed that TVC and TCC were affected by the gender, age, and profession of the participant as well as where they place their phone and what disinfection techniques they use.