Abstract

Mobile phones are known to serve as habitats and breeding grounds for microorganisms, as they provide a direct contact with human body and produce the heating effect while making long calls. Microbial analysis of the University students’ and workers’ cell phones was conducted to determine total bacterial count, numbers of mesophilic aerobic bacteria and total fungal count, before and after the disinfection procedure. The disinfection process was performed using the ozone generator 4.2 mg O₃/h, the UV C (TUV 30W/G30 T8) and the UV lamp chamber. The fungi most commonly identified on mobile phones were Penicillium sp., Aspergillus sp., Ulocladium sp. whereas the dominating bacteria were Gram-positive, that is Corynebacterium, Micrococcus, Kocuria, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. There were also recovered bacteria and opportunistic and pathogenic fungi, like Staphylococcus aureus and Trichoderma spp. The studies confirmed the bactericidal and fungicidal activity of both disinfection methods. The reduction factor (LRF) calculated for total bacterial and fungal counts indicate higher effectiveness of the ozone treatment applied.

Keywords: Mobile phone, contamination, bacteria, fungi, disinfection.