An exploratory study of bacterial contamination on communal mobile handheld devices in an animal referral hospital in the United Kingdom

The high colonisation rate of bacteria on MHD suggests that regular cleaning protocols are required to minimise potential bacterial spread to personnel and patients, particularly given the high rate of re-contamination 24 hours after cleaning. Further studies are required to ascertain whether the source of contamination was human or animal, and whether it leads to transmission of disease and constitutes a health risk to patients.