Computers are ubiquitous in everywhere and have been shown to be contaminated with potentially pathogenic microorganisms. There is no economical way to test all the keyboards out there, but there are common-sense ways to prevent bacterial contamination or eliminate it if it exists. In this study, it was found that all the tested 24 computer keyboards and mice, were positive for microbial contamination. The percentage of pathogenic bacteria, non pathogenic bacteria and mould was 3.0%, 0%; 66.3%; 66.6%; 30.6% and 33.3% for computer keyboards and mice, respectively. The isolated pathogens which included Bacillus cereus (60% susceptible and 10% resistant); Pseudomonas putida (90% susceptible and 10% resistant) and Escherichia tarda (90% susceptible and 0% resistant) were tested against the 10 different antibiotics. The disinfectant dettol wipes were highly effective at removing or inactivating microbial contamination.
Microbial Contamination of Some Computer Keyboards and Mice in National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT) - ResearchGate. Available from: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/267403106_Microbial_Contamination_of_Some_Computer_Keyboards_and_Mice_in_National_Center_for_Radiation_Research_and_Technology_(NCRRT) [accessed Oct 14, 2015].