Article ; Online: Metagenomic Sequencing and Reverse Transcriptase PCR Reveal That Mobile Phones and Environmental Surfaces Are Reservoirs of Multidrug-Resistant Superbugs and SARS-CoV-2.
Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology
2022 Volume 12, Page(s) 806077
Abstract: Background: Mobile phones of healthcare workers (HCWs) can act as fomites in the dissemination of microbes. This study was carried out to investigate microbial contamination of mobile phones of HCWs and environmental samples from the hospital unit using ...
| Abstract | Background: Mobile phones of healthcare workers (HCWs) can act as fomites in the dissemination of microbes. This study was carried out to investigate microbial contamination of mobile phones of HCWs and environmental samples from the hospital unit using a combination of phenotypic and molecular methods. Methods: This point prevalence survey was carried out at the Emergency unit of a tertiary care facility. The emergency unit has two zones, a general zone for non-COVID-19 patients and a dedicated COVID-19 zone for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients. Swabs were obtained from the mobile phones of HCWs in both zones for bacterial culture and shotgun metagenomic analysis. Metagenomic sequencing of pooled environmental swabs was conducted. RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection was carried out. Results: Bacteria contamination on culture was detected from 33 (94.2%) mobile phones with a preponderance of Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that mobile phones of HCWs are fomites for potentially pathogenic and highly drug-resistant microbes. The presence of these microbes on the mobile phones and hospital environmental surfaces is a concern as it poses a risk of pathogen transfer to patients and dissemination into the community. |
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| MeSH term(s) | COVID-19 ; Cell Phone ; Humans ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics |
| Language | English |
| Publishing date | 2022-03-08 |
| Publishing country | Switzerland |
| Document type | Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
| ZDB-ID | 2619676-1 |
| ISSN | 2235-2988 ; 2235-2988 |
| ISSN (online) | 2235-2988 |
| ISSN | 2235-2988 |
| DOI | 10.3389/fcimb.2022.806077 |
| Database | MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE |
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