Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and presence of genetically
identical strains on the mobile phones carried by healthcare providers
in the intensive care unit.
Abstract
Aims of the study: Staphylococcus aureus colonized in the nose of
healthcare providers is an important risk factor for the development of
hospital-acquired staphylococcal infections. Cross-contamination of this
bacterium between the hands of healthcare providers and the surfaces is
known. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clonal relationship
between eight Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from the nose of
healthcare providers and five Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated
from mobile phones carried by healthcare providers. Methods: The clonal
relationship between the strains and molecular epidemiological status
were investigated by the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis method.
Results: The first and third strains are isolated from the mobile phone
and the nose of a healthcare provider working in the intensive care unit
were the same. The second and fourth strains were isolated from the
mobile phone and nose of another healthcare provider working in the
intensive care unit were the same. The fifth strain, which was found to
be the same as the second and fourth strains, was isolated from the
mobile phone of another healthcare provider working in the intensive
care unit. No similarity was observed between the other strains.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that Staphylococcus aureus strains
colonized in the nose of healthcare providers are also transmitted to
other surfaces and that the hospital environment and co-used devices
pose a risk for spread. For this reason, training of healthcare
providers on the infection control procedure, hand hygiene,
environmental disinfection and regular cleaning of mobile phones are
important components in order to prevent hospital-acquired infections.