Bacterial Contamination of Cellular Phones:Are Mobile Phones Safer than Smart Phones?

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to describe pathogenic contamination on healthcare workers’ cellularphones, detect factors associated with contamination, and demonstrate whether there wasa link between cell phone contamination and subsequent healthcare-associated infections. Methods: The study was conducted in a 2000-bed tertiary care university hospital in Ankara.A total of 631 healthcare workers (HCWs) from several departments willing to participatewere included in the study. Bacterial cultures were taken from each cell phone via rotatinga sterile swab moistened with sterile physiological saline solution over both sides of thephone surface and cover. Samples were taken to the bacteriology laboratory within onehour and streaked onto 5% sheep blood agar. Isolated microorganisms were identified withconventional methods.Results: All 631 cell phones investigated had positive cultures; forty-four (6.05%) werepathogenic microorganisms. Drug resistance was not detected among pathogenic bacteria.As determined by univariate analysis, using flip phone cover (P = 0.022), a professionalexperience of fewer than five years (P = 0.049), having cleaned the phone within the last 48hours (P = 0.030), and working in a medical ward (P = 0.022) were significantly associatedwith pathogen contamination on the devices. Multivariate analysis with logistic regressionrevealed that using flip cover is the only factor associated with pathogen contamination oncell phones (P=0.035). Pathogen contamination on smartphones (7.7%) seemed to be higherthan on mobile phones (5.2%) (P=0.263).Conclusion: Pathogen contamination on smartphones was higher than on mobile phonesbut did not reach statistical significance. Using flip cover covers on cellular phones increasescontamination rates. We could not show any HAI occurred by the bacteria isolated fromcell phones, but health care workers should pay attention to this issue.