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Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Associated with Cell Phones of Healthcare Professionals in Selected Hospitals in Saudi Arabia
Joint Authors
Abdel-hadi, Ahmed
Banawas, Saeed
Bin Dukhyil, Abdul Aziz
Alshehri, Bader
Alaidarous, Mohammed
Alsaweed, Mohammed
Aboamer, Mohamed
Source
Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology
Issue
Vol. 2018, Issue 2018 (31 Dec. 2018), pp.1-7, 7 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2018-12-24
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
7
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Cell phones may be an ideal habitat for colonization by bacterial pathogens, especially in hot climates, and may be a reservoir or vehicle in transmitting nosocomial infections.
We investigated bacterial contamination on cell phones of healthcare workers in three hospitals in Saudi Arabia and determined antibacterial resistance of selected bacteria.
A questionnaire was submitted to 285 healthcare workers in three hospitals, and information was collected on cell phone usage at the work area and in the toilet, cell phone cleaning and sharing, and awareness of cell phones being a source of infection.
Screening on the Vitek 2 Compact system (bioMérieux Inc., USA) was done to characterize bacterial isolates.
Of the 60 samples collected from three hospitals, 38 (63.3%) were positive with 38 bacterial isolates (4 Gram-negative and 34 Gram-positive bacteria).
We found 38.3% of cell phones were contaminated with coagulase-negative staphylococci, particularly Staphylococcus epidermidis (10 isolates).
Other bacterial agents identified were S.
aureus, S.
hominis, Alloiococcus otitis, Vibrio fluvialis, and Pseudomonas stutzeri.
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that most coagulase-negative staphylococci were resistant to benzylpenicillin, erythromycin, and rifampicin.
Eight isolates were resistant to oxacillin, specifically S.
epidermidis (3), S.
hominis (2), and S.
warneri (2).
A.
otitis, a cause of acute otitis media showed multidrug resistance.
One isolate, a confirmed hetero-vancomycin intermediate-resistant S.
aureus, was resistant to antibiotics, commonly used to treat skin infection.
There was a significant correlation between the level of contamination and usage of cell phone at toilet and sharing.
Our findings emphasize the importance of hygiene practices in cell phone usage among healthcare workers in preventing the transmission of multidrug-resistant microbes.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Banawas, Saeed& Abdel-hadi, Ahmed& Alaidarous, Mohammed& Alshehri, Bader& Bin Dukhyil, Abdul Aziz& Alsaweed, Mohammed…[et al.]. 2018. Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Associated with Cell Phones of Healthcare Professionals in Selected Hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology،Vol. 2018, no. 2018, pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1131214
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Banawas, Saeed…[et al.]. Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Associated with Cell Phones of Healthcare Professionals in Selected Hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology No. 2018 (2018), pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1131214
American Medical Association (AMA)
Banawas, Saeed& Abdel-hadi, Ahmed& Alaidarous, Mohammed& Alshehri, Bader& Bin Dukhyil, Abdul Aziz& Alsaweed, Mohammed…[et al.]. Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Associated with Cell Phones of Healthcare Professionals in Selected Hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology. 2018. Vol. 2018, no. 2018, pp.1-7.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1131214
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1131214