Microbial Contamination International Research Collaborative Team Collection: Electronic Devices Acting as Fomites and Microbial Dissemination Impacting Global Public Health and Biosecurity

Dear Colleagues,

The United Nation’s 3rd sustainable development goal is associated with good health and wellbeing. The provision of better healthcare associated with the SGD requires advances in the fight against superbugs, the dissemination of pathogens, and the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance. This Special Issue will focus on the impact of electronic devices acting as important fomites that currently challenge infection control and biosecurity procedures and policies.

As an example, mobile phones and extended reality head mounted devices are fomites, which to date have received a significant amount of attention. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affirms that common infectious diseases are transmitted by hands. With over 7 billion mobile phones on the planet, these devices, which we interact with continuously and rarely sanitize, may have negative implications for global public health due to their widespread use in hospitals, clinics and other medical settings. The surfaces of mobile phones have been found to harbor an extensive array of fungi, bacteria, viruses and superbugs. The regular manner in which we increasingly interact with mobile phones as part of normal clinical workflows and duties increases the likelihood that they (i) negate hand hygiene, and (ii) disseminate microbes both within healthcare settings and throughout the wider community.

Additionally, in combination with modern transport, contaminated electronic devices such as mobile phones, when carried by travelers, may pose a significant threat to biosecurity. This complex biosecurity issue currently requires a coordinated effort between researchers, industry and competent border authorities in order to effectively manage the threat posed by electronic devices.

Dr. Lotti Tajouri
Guest Editor

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• metagenomics
• infection control and prevention
• antimicrobial resistance
• ESKAPE
• plant and animal pathogens
• zoonosis
• UV-C-based sanitization
• healthcare-associated infections
• biosecurity
• global public health
• pandemics