Mobile phones and computer keyboards: unlikely reservoirs of multidrug-resistant organisms in the tertiary intensive care unit

O C Smibert; A K Aung; E Woolnough; G P Carter; M B Schultz; B P Howden; T Seemann; D Spelman; S McGloughlin; A Y Peleg

doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2018.02.013

Mobile phones and computer keyboards: unlikely reservoirs of multidrug-resistant organisms in the tertiary intensive care unit

J Hosp Infect. 2018 Jul;99(3):295-298. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2018.02.013. Epub 2018 Mar 2.

Authors

O C Smibert¹, A K Aung², E Woolnough², G P Carter³, M B Schultz³, B P Howden³, T Seemann³, D Spelman², S McGloughlin², A Y Peleg⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Infectious Diseases, The Alfred Hospital and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: oliviasmibert@gmail.com.
² Department of Infectious Diseases, The Alfred Hospital and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
³ Melbourne Diagnostic Unit, Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases, The Alfred Hospital and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.

PMID: 29501730
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2018.02.013

Abstract

Few studies have used molecular epidemiological methods to study transmission links to clinical isolates in intensive care units. Ninety-four multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) cultured from routine specimens from intensive care unit (ICU) patients over 13 weeks were stored (11 meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), two vancomycin-resistant enterococci and 81 Gram-negative bacteria). Medical staff personal mobile phones, departmental phones, and ICU keyboards were swabbed and cultured for MDROs; MRSA was isolated from two phones. Environmental and patient isolates of the same genus were selected for whole genome sequencing. On whole genome sequencing, the mobile phone isolates had a pairwise single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) distance of 183. However, >15,000 core genome SNPs separated the mobile phone and clinical isolates. In a low-endemic setting, mobile phones and keyboards appear unlikely to contribute to hospital-acquired MDROs.

Keywords: Contamination; Infection prevention; Mobile phone; Transmission.

MeSH terms

Cell Phone*
Computers*
Cross Infection / epidemiology
Cross Infection / microbiology*
Disease Transmission, Infectious
Environmental Microbiology*
Genotype
Gram-Negative Bacteria / classification
Gram-Negative Bacteria / genetics
Gram-Negative Bacteria / isolation & purification*
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / classification
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / genetics
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification*
Molecular Epidemiology
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Tertiary Care Centers
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci / classification
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci / genetics
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci / isolation & purification*
Whole Genome Sequencing