Our objective was to assess the presence of pathogenic organisms on the rings (worn on fingers) and cell phones carried by health-care workers (HCWs) and the public. Forty-two percent of mobile phones carried by HCWs and 18% carried by the general public were found to carry one or more organisms; 82% of the rings worn by HCWs and 36% of those worn by the general public were found to be positive for the presence of at least one type of microbe.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
FridkinSK, GaynesRP. Antimicrobial resistance in intensive care units. Clin Chest Med1999;20:303–16
2.
BoyceJM, PittetD. In: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines for Hand Hygiene in Health-care Settings: Recommendations of the Health-care Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. MMWR2002;51(No.RR-16):1–45
3.
BradyRR, WassonA, StirlingI, McAllisterC, DamaniNN. Is your phone bugged? The incidence of bacteria known to cause nosocomial infection on health-care workers' cell phones. J Hosp Infect2006;62:123–5
4.
DuguidJP, MarmionBP, SwainRHA, eds. Mackie and McCartney Medical Microbiology. 13th edn.Oxford: Churchill Livingstone, 1996
5.
Wikler MatthewA: Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Disk Susceptibility Tests: Approved Standard. Vol M02-A9. 9th edn.PA: Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, 2006:52
KhivsaraA, SushmaTV, DanasreeB. Typing of Staphylococcus aureus from mobile phones and clinical samples. Currsci2006;90:910–12
8.
SinghV, AggarwalV, BansalS, GargSP, ChowdharyN. Telephone mouthpiece as a possible source of hospital infection. J Assoc Physicians India1998;46:372–3
9.
AkinyemiKO, AtapuAD, AdetonaOO, CokerAO. The potential role of mobile phones in the spread of bacterial infections. J Infect Dev Ctries2009;3:628–32
10.
McNeilSA, FosterCL, HedderwickSA, KauffmanCA. Effect of hand cleansing with antimicrobial soap or alcohol-based gel on microbial colonization of artificial fingernails worn by health-care workers. Clin Infect Dis2001;32:367–72
