Mobile phones as potential sources of spreading multi-drug-resistant bacteria

As mobile phones have become such an important role in our daily lives, it is not questionable to assume that they are exposed to what we are exposed to and carry what we do not even notice carrying. There are already studies on mobile phones' roles as reservoirs for pathogenic bacteria especially in clinical settings. This study is aimed to determine the bacterial contamination on veterinary students’ phones across different years of study and level of exposure as well as to assess the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the isolates. A total of 74 samples were collected from the veterinary students of University Malaysia Kelantan using sterile swabs. Bacterial identification was performed using bacterial staining, colony morphology, and a series of biochemical tests along with supplemental selective media. Lastly, antibiotic susceptibility was tested using the disk diffusion method according to European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) and Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. A total of 75 isolates were recovered dominated by coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) (16%, n=12). The highest resistance was observed against Penicillin G, while most isolates remained susceptible to Enrofloxacin. Students also completed a short questionnaire assessing personal phone hygiene habits, mobile phones pattern and bacterial contamination awareness. The findings indicate that mobile phones harbor clinically significant bacteria with varying resistance patterns, highlighting importance of regular device disinfection and improved hygiene practices.