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.