A total of 101 mobile phones were randomly sampled from participants
both in the halls as well as in the faculties, aseptically
swabbing the entire phone using dry sterile cotton. Samples were
collected from five populations: 37 faculty members, 30 personnel,
21 students, nine physicians and four nurses at the university clinic.
Mobile phones which were used for at least two months were
sampled in a standardized aseptic fashion with sterile cotton-tipped
applicators in sterile caped plastic tube, CITOSWAB (Citotest
labware manufacturing Company Limited, China). Tubes were
supplied with 3 ml of LB broth Miller media and incubated overnight
at 35°C. At the time of the study, no active investigation was being
performed for a nosocomial pathogen. Samples from the mobile
phones of all participants from the campus were collected randomly
during routine daily work, and each was asked regarding hygiene
practices that is, if he/she ever cleaned his mobile phone or washed
his hand after toilet. A sterile cotton swab was rolled over all
exposed outer surfaces of the cell phones which were used for at
least two months. Care was taken to make sure that the keypad
and all buttons were swabbed, since these areas are most
frequently in contact with the tips of fingers. Mobile phones were
decontaminated with 70% isopropylalchohol and then sampled
swabs after decontamination were streaked over sheep blood agar,
mannitol salt agar, eosin methylene blue agar (EMB), Streptococccus
selective agar media and MacConkey agar plates, for
characterization of aerobic bacteria; no anaerobic/fungal cultures
were taken. Plates were incubated aerobically at 37°C, for 48 h.