ASSESSMENT OF MICROBIAL LOAD OF PUBLIC PHONES AND MOBILE DEVICES USED BY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

Mobile phones are used in our daily lives. It has become a widely spread device in today’s life.These devices are carried into different places like; toilet, kitchen, event centers, hospitals, markets etc., which are loaded with harmful microorganisms that can lead to sickness or illness of the human body. Mobile phones and other devices have also been reported to be a reservoir for many microorganisms. The aim of this study was to access microbial load on public phones and mobile devices among university students. With the consent of the students. 15 swab samples were collected from male and female student’s devices in different colleges in a tertiary institution, and were analyzed using standard microbiological techniques and molecular techniques such as Biochemical tests, Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing, DNA extraction and PCR. Fifteen swab samples were collected out of which five (75%) swab sample tested positive for different type of bacteria. Microbial analysis showed that the mobile devices were contaminated with different types of bacteria. The mobile devices of male students (80%) were found to be more contaminated than that of female students (20%). Staphylococcus aureus was found to be the most dominant bacteria found from the mobile devices. In conclusion, the study results had shown that mobile devices from both male and female in the tertiary institution were contaminated with at least one or more bacterial isolates. It was observed that Staphylococcus aureus (90%) were present in four samples and bacillus (10%) present in a sample. Therefore, people should ndeavor to wash their hands, avoid taking their phones into the toilet cause these bacteria hang around the toilet area and keep a proper hygiene.