Isolation and identification of bacteria on cell phone screens Raquel Batista Castilho, Marina Ferreira Camussi, Mauricio Pereira Lima, Priscila Reina Siliano, Marcia Zorello Laporta

Abstract

Bacteria are unicellular and prokaryotic beings, they are widely distributed in all environments and perform several functions, however, there are those that are potentially pathogenic, responsible for infections and diseases in plants and animals. The objective of the present study was to research the presence of bacteria on cell phone screens, identify the isolated microorganisms and verify their sensitivity to antibiotics. Samples from the surfaces of cell phone screens were collected with sterile swabs, seeded in nutrient broth and in specific culture media. To identify Gram-positive bacteria, seeding in blood agar culture media, Gram staining, catalase test, seeding in Mannitol Salt agar, DNAse test, Pyr test, Staph-test, coagulase test and seeding in Baird Parker medium were performed. To identify Gram-negative bacteria, seeding was performed on MacConkey agar, Gram staining and identification using Enterokit B. Forty-six samples were analyzed, and the following species were identified: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus lugdunensis, Gram-positive bacilli, Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens, Serratia spp, Serratia liquefaciens, Hafnia alvei, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Many of the bacteria found are potentially pathogenic and can cause urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, skin infections and toxic shock. Therefore, efficient hygiene of the device and hands is extremely important for microbiological control.