Bacterial Contamination of Computer Keyboards and Mice in a University Setting

Abstract

In order to investigate the status of bacterial contamination of computer components , 50 samples (25 from keyboards and 25 from mice ) were collected from the main internet center located in Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad ,Iraq. Depending on the cultural, microscopic and biochemical examinations , A total of 59 isolates comprising 9 bacterial species were recovered from these samples ,the frequencies of occurrence of the species were; Bacillus spp. (25.42%), Staphylococcus aureus(18.64%), Staphylococcus epidermidis(10.17%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (16.95%), Shigella spp. (15.25%), Klebsilla spp. (5.1% ), Salmonella spp. (3.39% ), Proteus spp. (3.39% ), and Citrobacter spp. (1.7%). These results indicate that the computer keyboards and mice might act as environmental vehicles for the transmission of potentially pathogenic bacteria in the university settings and also indicate the need for increasing awareness among computer users on cleaning of such surfaces or disinfection and adequate hand-washing hygiene.

Keywords: Bacterial contamination , computer keyboards, computer mice, university setting ,Iraq.