Bacteria and Fungi Surface Contamination

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Bacteria and Fungi Surface Contamination
Introduction
Measuring surface contamination is considered one of the most convenient methods compared to measuring air contamination. This is because sampling systems like plates and swabs are easily available and can be monitored easily. Microbes attach themselves to surfaces in a particular manner. The process of surface adherence is influenced by air turbulence, moisture, electrostatic forces, hydrophilic properties and physical configuration (Tamburini, 8296). Several micro-organisms have difficulty in maintaining viability in the air. Their deposition on surfaces provides the required humidity, temperature, and nutrients for growth and sustainability.
Objectives
The purpose of this study is to access surface contamination by micro-organisms. These surfaces are a door handle, cellular phone, and water fountain. This microbial sampling seeks to establish the relationship between culture counts on surfaces. The microbial count exercise aims to evaluate fungi and bacteria to provide an index of contamination.
Hypothesis
Highly frequented areas like washrooms and water fountains are vulnerable to microbial contamination. People visit washrooms with door handles and use their phones afterward. Bacteria and fungi have different morphology, color and also exist under different conditions.
Methodology
Surfaces were sampled using contact Petri dishes. Microorganisms were transferred directly to the plates through direct contact under standardized conditions.

Counting of colonies was facilitated by the large surface area of plates and a bottom grid. Identified microbes were incubated at standard temperatures for 24 hours. Thereafter, colonies were counted and results recorded.
Results
The phone had one fungus with many round and yellow bacteria. This surface was smooth with bacteria exhibiting a small and round margin. There were also white and grey ones which were round and irregular. The grey margin was characterized by filamentous bacteria. The door handle had white bacteria. This was a smooth surface, and 65 percent of the bacteria were white while the remaining 35 percent were yellow. They were less than 1 mm in dimension. There were no fungi on the door handle. The water fountain had a pink punctiform with yellow bacteria. The punctiform was also identified as Serratia marcescens which had a characteristic red color. The surface was round and smooth. It also had one round fungus. The 90 percent of the punctiform was red in color while the rest accounted for 10 percent. Most bacteria identified on these surfaces combined were yellow in color.
Table 1. Surface microbes
Surface Microbes
Phone filamentous bacteria, yellow, grey and white bacteria and fungi
Door Handle White and yellow bacteria
Water fountain Serratia marcescens bacteria, round fungus
Discussion
The phone had more bacteria growth which confirms the hypothesis that phones have higher microbial contamination. Bugs get inside phones because of their proximity to hand and mouth. The bacteria were shaped by the nature of dots. Filamentous bacteria were also found at the water fountain. This form of bacteria is found commonly in areas with moisture. The sampling produced a small number of fungi compared to bacteria. The study needs to be broadened in order to cover more indoor surfaces and also consider longer incubation times.
Conclusion
There were few microorganisms identified on these smooth surfaces. This shows that reduction is surface roughness does not favor retention of microorganisms. Materials with different surface finishing and chemical composition show variability in terms of microbial count. The frequency of contact for phones and door handles. Phones are handled at all times especially when using restrooms. Therefore, surfaces with a higher contact frequency have a higher microbial deposition. Microorganisms also exist in different proportions on surfaces depending on different physical characteristics.

Works Cited
Tamburini, Elena, et al. “Study on microbial deposition and contamination onto six surfaces commonly used in chemical and microbiological laboratories.” International journal of environmental research and public health 12.7 (2015): 8295-8311.