PREVALENCE AND ANTIMICROBIAL SENSITIVITIES OF BACTERIAL ISOLATES FROM AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE IN NSUKKA METROPOLIS
CHIOMA VIVIAN MUONEKE1, DINEBARI PHILIP BEREBON1, JOY ULONWADI AJUONU1, RESTUS CHIBUIKE ONWUSOBA1, SOMTOCHUKWU AMUCHE EVURANI1,3*, OGBONNA FRANKLIN UMAHI4, CHIZOBA ANGELA OZIOKO1, CHINAZA AGATHA ATTAH1, IFEOMA AGATHA UGBOR5, EMMANUEL CHINEDU IBEZIM2
1 Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
2 Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
3 Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom.
4 Fortunate Healthcare Hospital, beside Ascension Church Headquarters, Amata Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area, Nigeria.
5 Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, State University of Medical and Applied Sciences, Igbo-Eno, Nigeria.
Afr. J Pharm Res Dev; Volume 18(2): 814-827; 2026
ABSTRACT
The Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is likely to be contaminated with various microorganisms due to their vast dermal contact by multiple users. This study examined ATM metallic keypads as potential sources of bacterial contamination and characterized the antibiogram of the isolated organisms. The study involved several procedures like isolation, culturing, and identification of the organisms using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method for antibiotic sensitivity tests. Swabs from the keypad of 20 ATM were examined and the results indicated the contamination of keypads with Staphylococcus aureus 18(34.6%), Escherichia coli 16(30.7%), Salmonella spp 15 (28.8%), P. aeruginosa 3(5.76%). The antibiogram was ascertained using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method and the result showed that Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp and P. aeruginosa were resistant to vancomycin (80.7 %) and cefoxitin (78.8%) and were susceptible to these antibiotics Ciprofloxacin (100%) followed by Gentamycin (96.2%), Tetracycline (86.6%), Amoxicillin (71.2%), Erythromycin (59.7%) and cefepime (59.7%). The hygiene, aesthetics and environmental safety conditions have been left for employed general cleaners that do not have appropriate training about generalized and specialised cleaning. They may use rags for cleaning the toilets, tables to clean ATM thereby transmitting germs. Public awareness should be created on the health implications so as to inculcate hand washing by the users of ATM and a cleaning regimen with disinfectant should be practiced to reduce contamination of ATMs.
Keywords: Automated teller machine (ATM), antibiogram, contamination, hand washing, Disinfectant
*Correspondence: [email protected]
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59493/ajopred/2026.2.10 | ISSN: 0794-800X (print); 1596-2431 (online)