Cellphones of Hospital Patients & Visitors Harbor Dangerous Bacteria

Hospital-acquired infections affect more than 25% of admitted patients in developing countries. In U.S. hospitals, they cause 1.7 million infections a year and are associated with approximately 100,000 deaths. It is estimated that one third of these infections could be prevented by adhering to standard infection control guidelines. Mehmet Sait Tekerekoglu , from Inonu University (Turkey), and colleagues collected swab samples from three parts of cellphones—the keypad, microphone and ear piece. A total of 200 mobile phones were cultured for the study, 67 of which belonged to medical employees and 133 to patients, patients’ companions and visitors. The researchers found that 39.6% of the patient group phones tested positive for pathogens (as compared to 20.6% of  healthcare worker phones).  Additionally, seven patient phones contained multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and multiply resistant gram-negative organisms, while no healthcare worker phones tested positive for MDR pathogens. Warning that: “Our findings suggest that mobile phones of patients, patients’ companions, and visitors represent higher risk for nosocomial pathogen colonization than those of [healthcare workers],” the team urges that: “Specific infection control measures may be required for this threat.”