MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE PATTERNS OF MOBILE PHONES USED BY HEALTH WORKERS AND STUDENTS IN OKADA, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Mobile phones are widely used in healthcare and academic environments and may serve as reservoirs for pathogenic microorganisms associated with hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). This study investigated the microbial contamination and antimicrobial resistance patterns of microorganisms isolated from mobile phones used by health workers and students in Igbinedion University and the Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital.

A total of 200 mobile phones were sampled, comprising 100 from students and 100 from health workers. Sterile swab sticks were used to collect samples from the speaker and back surfaces of phones, after which microbiological analysis, colony count determination, and biochemical identification were performed using standard microbiological methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was also carried out on recovered isolates.

The predominant isolates recovered were Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Bacillus spp., mold, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Female health workers showed significantly higher prevalence of E. coli contamination compared to males (60% vs 20%; p = 0.008), while male students demonstrated significantly higher prevalence of S. aureus contamination (80% vs 44%; p = 0.004). Male participants generally exhibited higher microbial colony counts across most isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed high resistance among S. aureus isolates, particularly against cefixime, amoxicillin-sulbactam, and ciprofloxacin, indicating multidrug resistance tendencies. In contrast, ofloxacin and levofloxacin demonstrated near-complete effectiveness against most isolates.

The study demonstrates that mobile phones used by students and health workers harbor potentially pathogenic and multidrug-resistant microorganisms capable of contributing to healthcare-associated and community-acquired infections. Regular hand hygiene, routine disinfection of mobile phones, and strict infection prevention practices are therefore recommended to minimize microbial transmission.