DISCUSSION
Bacterial contamination of healthcare providers’ mobile phones is an
extensively studied subject 7. However, the
relationship between nasal colonization and mobile phone contamination
is not well understood. In this study, we conducted PFGE to investigate
the closeness between S.aureus strains isolated from the noses
and mobile phones of healthcare providers. We found that out S.
aureus strains isolated from the mobile phones of two healthcare
providers and S. aureus strains isolated from their noses were
genetically identical. This shows that bacteria colonized in the nose
contaminate mobile phones. Kanayama et al. showed that S. aureusstrains isolated from the mobile phones of nurses and S. aureusstrains detected in their hands were genetically identical and mentioned
the cross-contamination between mobile phones and hands8. Furthermore, it was found out in our study that the
strain isolated from the nose and mobile phone of a healthcare provider
and the strain detected on the mobile phone of another healthcare
provider were identical, which shows that S.aureus strains
colonized in the noses of healthcare providers can be transmitted to
other surfaces through hands, and that the hospital environment and the
shared devices pose a risk for spread. Similarly, S. aureusstrains, which were also genetically identical in the study of Kanayama
et al. were observed in many mobile phones and the hands of people using
them, indicating that these strains spread to large areas within the
hospital through the hands of healthcare providers using contaminated
mobile phones 8.
In the study of Chang et al. which examines the bacterial contamination
of mobile phones of healthcare providers working in the operating room
and compares this with the hand and nose colonization of the same
healthcare providers, it was found out that the rate of mobile phone
contamination was 98%, and also the bacteria in the mobile phones,
hands, and noses of the healthcare providers were identical at the rate
of 94.3 % 9 .
In their study, Brady et al. demonstrated the relationship between nasalS. aureus carriage of healthcare providers and the S.
aureus contamination of the mobile phones used by patients and
emphasized the risk of cross-contamination 10. Shi et
al. reported the cross-contamination of S. aureus on the surfaces
which healthcare providers contacted with their hands in a large city
hospital 11.
In many studies conducted, it was reported that nasal S. aureuscarriage was detected at a high rate in healthcare providers. Chang et
al. detected that S. aureus nasal carriage in 19,9 % of
healthcare providers 9. According to other studies in
the literature, this rate was reported to be 30 % in a study conducted
in Argentina, 12 % in a study conducted in Ethiopia, and 26 % in a
study conducted in India 12-14.
The findings of our study indicate
that mobile phones used by healthcare providers may be reservoirs for
potential pathogens in nasal colonization. The most common potential
pathogen S. aureus is encountered in surgical site infections,
pneumonia, septicemia and instrument-related infections. The
identification of the relationship between S. aureus strains
isolated from these infections and S. aureus strains isolated
from the noses and mobile phones of healthcare providers will be useful
in determining the ways of infection transmission.