Identificación bacteriana en teléfonos celulares de estudiantes de medicina que acuden o no, a un Hospital General en Mérida, Yucatán, México

Abstract

The cell phone is an important tool for communication, consultation and information exchange; Studies carried out in hospitals have shown that cell phones of medical personnel are contaminated by nosocomial pathogens. However, the bacterial species that the cell phones house and their potential risk have not been determined. We analized the cell phones of 30 first-year medical students who do not visit the hospital in their studies vs. 30 students who perform their clerkship practices in hospitals, to determine the differences in bacterial loads. Samples were taken by sterile swabs moistened with isotonic saline. McConkey and salt-mannitol agar were used as culture media. The biochemical tests used for identification of enterobacteria were citrate, MIO, LIA, urea and TSI. Degradation tests of mannitol, coagulase, catalase and oxidase were used for the identification of staphylococci. Likewise, smears and Gram staining of the isolated colonies were performed. Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomona sp. were mainly found. Differences in number and bacterial species were found in the cell phones of each study group, representing a reservoir of potentially pathogenic bacteria for humans.