INTRODUCTION
Staphylococcus aureus, one of the most commonly isolated agents
in both community and hospital-acquired infections worldwide1. One of the important risk factors
for the development of hospital-acquired staphylococcal infections isS. aureus , which is colonized in the noses of healthcare
providers 2. This bacterium can be transmitted to the
mobile phones used by healthcare providers through their hands3, 4.
The relationship between S. aureus colonized in the noses of
healthcare providers and S. aureus detected in their mobile
phones is still unclear. The question of “Are mobile phones randomly
contaminated with S. aureus or contaminated with S. aureuscolonized in the noses of healthcare providers?” is waiting to be
answered.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the clonal relationship betweenS. aureus strains isolated from the noses of healthcare providers
working in the internal medicine intensive care unit (IMICU) and the
operating room, and S. aureus strains isolated from the mobile
phones of IMICU workers.