Abstract
Public telephones are handled by many people and can serve as vehicle of disease transmission. Our study involved the microbiological analysis of public telephones. We analysed 60 telephones from the downtown area of Sarajevo and they were all positive for bacterial contamination. The analysis used microbiological, biochemical and serological methods. More Gram-positive than Gram-negative bacteria were isolated, and the most common bacteria were Staphylococcus epidermidis. Beside this, we also found pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coliand Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The hygiene of the environmental surfaces and public objects is to be considered as various opportunistic bacterial pathogens were isolated. Key words: Public phones, bacteria, surface, contamination, opportunistic pathogen. 
Highlights
Contact is one of the most common modes of transmission of infective agents
More Gram-positive bacteria than Gramnegative were found on the public telephones
Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most commonly isolated microorganism (73.3 %), and B. subtilis was isolated in great numbers (40 %) (Table 1)
Summary
Pathogen microorganisms can be spread through direct physical contact among people or through contact with contaminated inanimate objects (fomites) and surfaces. Some microorganisms can be pathogenic at low concentrations and survive on nonporous surfaces such as telephones, taps, doorknobs and toilet bowls (Goldmann, 2000; Abad et al, 2001; Rusin et al, 2002; Reynolds et al, 2005). There are few data available concerning the investigation of bacterial pathogens from public telephones (Ferdinandus et al, 2001; Tunç and Olgun, 2006; Annand et al, 2009; Brooke et al, 2009). Having in mind that public phones are in constant use by a wide range of people, the purpose of our research was to isolate and identify the most common bacterial contaminants present on the Jerković-Mujkić et al
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
