ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY PROFILING OF BACTERIA RECOVERED FROM CELL PHONES

This study was conducted to establish bacterial contamination of cell phones and microbial contamination of mobile phones and isolate the significant bacterial species associated with these cell phones in reference to give necessary remedial measure. A total of 80 samples were collected to isolate microbial population associated with cell phones. Sterile swabs were firmly rubbed on the surface of the handset, the key buttons and on the screens of cell phones. The swabs were then inoculated into different media viz. Nutrient agar, MacConkey agar, Mannitol Salt agar and Eosin Methelyne Blue agar. A total of 143 different bacterial isolates recovered from these sample and were classified as: Staphylococcus spp. Corynebacterium spp., Streptococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Micrococcus spp., Proteus spp., Bacillus spp., and Enterobacter spp. at the ratio of 52, 17,14,7,4,3,2 and 1% respectively. The isolates were further subjected for Antibiotic susceptibility profiling and have found that most of the recovered isolates were challenging to Ampicillin, few isolates also shown intermediate results. Impimen, Norfloxacin and Gentamycin were sensitive towards most isolates. Ciprofloxacin and Chloramphenicol showed variable susceptibility to the different isolates. The study shown that all cell phones under investigation were significantly contaminated by numerous bacterial species. It is an also indication that the majority of them belongs to the normal flora of the human body as well as airborne and soil bacteria. Thus it can be said that it is necessary to sterilise hands after contact with a cell phone since it is a potential source of disease transmission.