Author(s): Barbosa, Joana Inês Bastos ; Albano, Helena da Conceição Pereira ; Silva, Fabiana Ferreira ; Teixeira, Paula Cristina Maia
Date: 2020
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/28718
Origin: Veritati - Repositório Institucional da Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Subject(s): Antibiotic resistance; ATM; Microbial contamination
Automated Teller Machines (ATM) are likely to be contaminated with various microorganisms because of their contact with the hands of many users daily. The main objective of this study was to investigate ATMs as a potential source of bacterial contamination. This study was conducted in the Metropolitan Area of Porto, in which 50 swab samples were cultured on selective media. Some isolates were identified based on colonial, morphological and biochemical characteristics. Susceptibility to several antibiotics was also evaluated for each isolated organism. Most contaminated ATMs had high numbers of Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococci. Staphylococci and Enterobacteriaceae were the most prevalent bacteria found. The recovered bacterial isolates varied in their antibiotic resistance pattern; Staphylococcus spp. demonstrated the most resistant profiles. With this pioneering study in Portugal, it was demonstrated that although ATMs in metropolitan area of Porto were not highly contaminated, some potentially pathogenic bacteria were present and resistant to some commonly used antibiotics.
