Background. Healthcare workers (HCWs) may be using their mobile phones (MPs) to carry microbes that cause hospital-acquired and community infections in general. With antibiotic resistance problem emergence, these infections can be challenging to eradicate. Hence, this study aimed to determine the microbial contamination of HCW MPs and identify and classify bacterial isolates in Palestine. Methods. This was a 7-month comparative cross-sectional analysis of 200 HCW MPs from 2 hospitals and 100 MPs from university students (non-HCWs). Data collection was done using a self-administrated questionnaire, and a swab sample from both HCW and non-HCW MPs was obtained and transferred to An-Najah National University (NNU) microbiology lab for bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility. Data were analyzed using Social Sciences Statistical Package (SPSS) version 22.0. Result. Among HCWs, the microbial contamination was 87.5%. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS; 67.3%), methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA; 17.5%), Gram-positive bacilli (4.1%), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; 1.6%), and Gram-negative species (1.6%) were the most predominant bacterial isolates. More than half of staphylococci isolates were resistant to penicillin and erythromycin. Male gender, using a mobile phone in the bathroom, and entry to the operating theatre were associated with mobile phone contamination and increased resistance against specific antibiotics. Among non-HCWs, the contamination was 86%. The most predominant bacterial isolates were CoNS, MSSA, and Gram-positive bacilli, with a contamination of 66.8%, 28.5%, and 2.6%, respectively. No MRSA or Gram-negative species were detected in this group. Antibiotic resistance percentage of staphylococci was nearly half of that yielded in the HCW group against each antibiotic. Conclusion. Significant numbers of bacteria have been isolated from HCW MPs. Working in a hospital environment frequently raises the probability of presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on a MP. Therefore, infection control teams should discuss methods to prevent the transmission of drug-resistant pathogens from HCW MPs.

中文翻译：

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巴勒斯坦医护人员手机上的微生物：鉴定、表征和比较

背景。医护人员 (HCW) 可能正在使用他们的手机 (MP) 携带微生物，这些微生物通常会导致医院获得性和社区感染。随着抗生素耐药性问题的出现，这些感染可能难以根除。因此，本研究旨在确定 HCW MP 的微生物污染，并识别和分类巴勒斯坦的细菌分离物。方法. 这是对来自 2 家医院的 200 名 HCW 议员和来自大学生（非 HCW）的 100 名议员进行的为期 7 个月的比较横断面分析。使用自我管理的问卷收集数据，并获得来自 HCW 和非 HCW 议员的拭子样本，并将其转移到 An-Najah 国立大学 (NNU) 微生物实验室进行细菌鉴定和抗生素敏感性研究。使用社会科学统计软件包 (SPSS) 22.0 版分析数据。结果。医护人员中微生物污染率为87.5%。凝固酶阴性葡萄球菌(CoNS; 67.3%)、耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(MSSA; 17.5%)、革兰氏阳性杆菌 (4.1%)、耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA；1.6%）和革兰氏阴性菌（1.6%）是最主要的细菌分离物。超过一半的葡萄球菌分离株对青霉素和红霉素耐药。男性、在浴室使用手机和进入手术室与手机污染和对特定抗生素的耐药性增加有关。在非 HCW 中，污染率为 86%。最主要的细菌分离物是 CoNS、MSSA 和革兰氏阳性杆菌，污染率分别为 66.8%、28.5% 和 2.6%。在该组中未检测到 MRSA 或革兰氏阴性菌。葡萄球菌的抗生素耐药率几乎是医护人员对每种抗生素耐药率的一半。结论. 从 HCW MP 中分离出大量细菌。在医院环境中工作经常会增加 MP 上存在抗生素抗性细菌的可能性。因此，感染控制小组应讨论防止耐药病原体从医务人员 MPs 传播的方法。