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ISSN
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ABSTRACT
| Bacterial Superbugs Contaminating Mobile Phones of Healthcare Workers in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital |
| Jibril Imran, Sherifat T. Suleiman, Olufemi A. Lawani |
| Background: Mobile phone use in the hospital setting is rapidly expanding. However, there is a global concern that this device of healthcare workers (HCWs) could act as a vector for pathogenic bacterial agents. Materials and methods: This was a snapshot cross-sectional, hospital-based study designed to determine the bacterial superbugs contaminating the mobile phones of HCWs at UITH, Ilorin. The phone maintenance cultures of participants were obtained via questionnaires. Swabs of mobile phones of 384 (246 females) HCWs who had been at least six months in the employment of the hospital were taken and cultured on blood and MacConkey agars. Isolation, identification, and antibiotic susceptibility testing of bacteria were carried out using standard procedures. Results: Of 384 mobile phones, 322 (83.8%) were culture positive. Gram-positive cocci were the dominant group of bacterial contaminants which included Staphylococcus aureus 169 (52.5%), Micrococcus spp 101 (31.5%), and coagulate-negative Staphylococci 26 (8.0%). Gramnegative bacteria recovered included Escherichia coli 16 (5.0%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae 10 (3.0%). Out of the S. aureus isolated, 79 (76.0%) were Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) while other superbugs isolated included ESBL-producing Escherichia coli 6 (37.5%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae 7 (70.0%), and Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) 12 (46.2%). Conclusion: This study established a high bacterial contamination rate (83.8%) of which 32.3% was superbug. The findings underscored the need for the establishment of robust infectious disease control practices within the hospital environment and regular sensitization for all members of staff on the need for increased personal hand hygiene. |
| 10.51658/ABMS.202331.12 |
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