Bacterial Contamination and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Healthcare Workers' Mobile Phones in Hospitals at Khartoum City

Bacterial Contamination and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Healthcare Workers' Mobile Phones in Hospitals at Khartoum City Mansour Awad Mansour EL Jelani Husham M Taha Aloob Samia S Mohamed Ismail Amira H Arman Ahmed AbdElhadi Abdlhamed Ibrahem Abdelhakam H. Ali

Background: Mobile phones used by healthcare workers (HCWs) have emerged as potential reservoirs for pathogens, posing a risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of bacterial contamination on HCWs' mobile phones, determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, and compare findings with global data. Methods: We collected swabs from 94 mobile phones of HCWs across two hospitals in Khartoum. We identified bacterial isolates using standard microbiological techniques and evaluated antimicrobial resistance using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Results: Bacterial contamination appeared in 93.6% of mobile phones. Gram-positive bacteria, such as Coagulase-negative staphylococci (36%) and S. aureus (31.8%) were prevalent. Gram-negative organisms were isolated. The predominant organisms were Klebsiella pneumoniae 15 (37%) isolates followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 12 (30%) isolates, Proteus mirabilis 5 (12%) isolates, Acintobacter baumannii 4 (10%), Enterobacter spp 3(8%) and Escherichia coli 1 (3%). Antimicrobial susceptibility tests revealed high resistance to penicillin among Gram-positive isolates. The tests revealed no multidrug-resistant (MDR) or extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production. Conclusion: HCWs' mobile phones represent a critical vector for bacterial transmission in hospitals. Stringent infection control measures and regular disinfection should mitigate the associated risks.
01 27 2025 1 10 10.9734/mrji/2025/v35i21538 https://www.journalmrji.com/index.php/MRJI/article/view/1538 https://www.journalmrji.com/index.php/MRJI/article/download/1538/3123 https://www.journalmrji.com/index.php/MRJI/article/download/1538/3123 https://www.journalmrji.com/index.php/MRJI/article/download/1538/3124 https://www.journalmrji.com/index.php/MRJI/article/download/1538/3125