Bacterial burden and drug-resistant bacteria in healthcare workers' mobile phones: a study in Puerto Rican outpatient clinics

Background

Mobile phones used by healthcare workers (HCWs) in hospitals are significant reservoirs of drug-resistant bacteria responsible for hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).

Aim

The objective of this study was to assess the level of contamination with such bacteria in outpatient clinics.

Methods

Swabs from 83 HCWs' mobile phones were processed using standard biochemical and enzymatic procedures to identify pathogenic bacteria. β-Lactamase tests, antimicrobial susceptibility tests, screening for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL), and carbapenemase production were performed according to CLSI guidelines. Molecular detection of multi-drug-resistant genes (mecA in Staphylococcus aureus and kpc/ndm carbapenemases in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter spp.) was performed using multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Findings

The overall prevalence of mobile phone contamination with one or more bacteria was 100%. A total of 51 Gram-positive and 44 Gram-negative isolates, including 20 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), 20 S. aureus (0 meticillin-resistant S. aureus), 11 Acinetobacter spp. and 10 K. pneumoniae were isolated. β-Lactamase production was detected in 45% of CoNS and 30% of S. aureus. Panton–Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) toxin gene in S. aureus was found in 20% (4/20) of the isolates. Twenty (20%) and 13% of the Acinetobacter spp. and K. pneumoniae isolates, respectively, were ESBL but not carbapenemase producers.

Conclusions

The presence of HAI-causing organisms on mobile phones used by HCWs in outpatient clinics necessitates the implementation of infection control measures to mitigate the risk of cross-contamination in critical healthcare settings.