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<article xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="1.0" article-type="healthcare" lang="en"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">IJCRR</journal-id><journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">I Journ Cur Res Re</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title>International Journal of Current Research and Review</journal-title><abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="pubmed">I Journ Cur Res Re</abbrev-journal-title></journal-title-group><issn pub-type="ppub">2231-2196</issn><issn pub-type="opub">0975-5241</issn><publisher><publisher-name>Radiance Research Academy</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">2738</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi"/><article-id pub-id-type="doi-url">http://dx.doi.org/10.31782/IJCRR.2020.1821</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Healthcare</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>Isolation and Identification of Bacteria from Cell Phones of Health Care Workers from Central India&#13;
</article-title></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Kakade</surname><given-names>Anupam</given-names></name></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Bankar</surname><given-names>Nandkishor</given-names></name></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Padmawar</surname><given-names>Mangesh</given-names></name></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Chandi</surname><given-names>Dhruba Hari</given-names></name></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Singh</surname><given-names>Brij Raj</given-names></name></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Gode</surname><given-names>Dilip</given-names></name></contrib></contrib-group><pub-date pub-type="ppub"><day>21</day><month>07</month><year>2020</year></pub-date><volume>rn</volume><issue>eu</issue><fpage>18</fpage><lpage>21</lpage><permissions><copyright-statement>This article is copyright of Popeye Publishing, 2009</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2009</copyright-year><license license-type="open-access" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><license-p>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) Licence. You may share and adapt the material, but must give appropriate credit to the source, provide a link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made.</license-p></license></permissions><abstract><p>Introduction: The telecommunications market in India is currently the second-largest in the world. Cell phones have been shown to pose a health threat with tens of thousands of microbes residing on every square inch of the phone. It has been observed that pathogenic bacteria exist on around 40 percent of patient-related cell phones and about 20 percent of hospital staff-related mobile phones. Cell phones are difficult to clean and therefore have the potential for contamination with multiple bacterial agents. Doctors and health care workers (HCW) serving in intensive care units (ICUs) or operating units are widely exposed to deadly micro-organisms. HCWs often become carriers and may act as vectors and spread microorganisms wherever they are taken.&#13;
Material And Method: A total of 60 HCW cell phones were tested for their bacterial contamination at Datta Meghe University of Medical Sciences. Consent was obtained from all persons whose mobile phones had been included in this study. Swabs were soaked in the tube containing peptone water. The cell phones analyzed were obtained at random from four departments: laboratory, Surgical Intensive Care Unit, surgical unit, and Operation theater T area. The specimen was obtained using a sterile cotton swab moistened with sterile peptone water. After 24 hours of incubation, plates were examined for the growth of microbial colonies.&#13;
Results: A total of 60 mobile phones were included and samples were collected. This study enrolled the mobile phones of 15 (25%) nurses, 15 (25%) Doctors, 15 (25%) attendent, and 15 (25%) laboratory technicians. All cellphones were touch screens having back cover. Coagulase negative Staphylococci (CoNS) was isolated from 24 (40%) cellphones. Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were isolated from 21 (35%) and 15 (25%) cells respectively. Isolation of Diphtheroids, Coagulase negative Staphylococci (CoNS), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Esherichia coli, Micrococci, Acinetobacter species and ESBL Klebsiella was 18(30%), 24(40.0%), 22 (36.6%), 7(11.7%), 11(18.3%), 5(8.3%), and 3(5.0%) respectively.&#13;
Conclusion: Mobile phones can serve as a potential carrier for the nosocomial infection spread. Therefore regular screening of mobile phones, proper sterilization and hand hygiene is recommended for all health care workers.&#13;
</p></abstract><kwd-group><kwd>Cell phone</kwd><kwd> Mobile</kwd><kwd> HCW</kwd><kwd> Microbial contamination</kwd></kwd-group></article-meta></front></article>
