Factors associated with the presence of gram-negative bacteria in cell phones of merchants in a market

Introduction: The advancement of technology has made the cell phone a fundamental part of daily life and a potential carrier of bacteria. Objective: To evaluate the factors associated with the presence of gram-negative bacteria in the cell phones of the merchants of the main market of the city of Huanuco, Peru. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out. The sample consisted of 116 merchants and was obtained by stratified probabilistic sampling. Samples of their cell phones were taken and cultured manually, and sensitivity was determined with antibiogram discs. The instrument was the validated collection card (81%). Stata v.16 software was used for the analysis, using chi-square and Mann Whitney U. Results: 17.2% of the cell phones had growth of Gram-negative bacteria. The bivariate analysis with this variable found that sex, type of cell phone and the longest time of use during working hours were statistically associated (p< 0.05). Conclusions: The female gender, having a cell phone with a keyboard and the highest frequency of use are variables associated with the colonization of gram-negative germs in cell phones of vendors in the Huanuco, Peru market.