Accumulation of Microbial Contamination on Keyboards and Mobile Phone Devices in the University Community

This study was conducted to determine the level of contamination of, and whether there were any bacteria or yeasts on, the mobile phones of staff members and students, as well as on computers with touch displays and keyboards. Amount of 100 samples, being the total number of devices screened, both mobile phones and computer keyboards. All samples obtained from either mobile phones or keyboards showed various species of haemolysis microbes: beta haemolysis (β), alpha haemolysis (α), and gamma haemolysis (γ). A sample of 50 mobile phones and 50 computer keyboards were tested for the presence of coliform bacteria, Salmonella and Shigella strains, Staphylococcus sp., and yeasts. In regard to the percentages of microorganisms found in mobile phone samples, 55% of the total bacteria counted on contaminated devices came from multi-bacterial species, while no considerable contamination was detected by yeasts. The infection levels of mobile phone samples differed depending on the microbial load found on the samples. Similarly, various microorganisms were detected on the tested computer keyboards, with 50% of bacterial identified, with 25% being coliform bacteria, 16% Staphylococcus sp., 5% Salmonella and Shigella strains, and 4% yeasts. The infection level of computer keyboard samples again differed depending on the microbial load of the samples. The findings reveal that the infection rate for isolated organisms was relatively low. Lack of certain hygiene conditions, such as a protective cover, and use of public touchscreen laptops, keyboards and mobile phones without considering hygiene, are risk factors for microorganism contamination on these devices.