In our study on 16 common point Biometric Attendance System machines installed in our Institute, fingerprint scanners were swabbed to determine the presence of microbes there. The salient findings were as under:
1. One or more of the ESKAPE bacteria, the bacteria if contracted and infect you, you can't be cured easily, were detected on scanners of seven machines (Klebsiella pneumoniae 1, Staphylococcus aureus 3, Enterococcus faecium 6).
2. Carbapenem-resistant microbes were detected on scanners of five BAS machines; you may understand the risk of getting a carbapenem-resistant infection, i.e., hardly any drug is going to save you.
3. Besides, faecal origin bacteria like Escherichia coli 1, Enterococcus faecalis 2, Aeromonas media, A. bestiarum (4, these aeromonads are one of the common cause of abortions in our dairy) and bacteria causing resistant wound infections (Shewanella putrifaciens 1, Staphylococcus haemolyticus 1, Staphylococcus felis 5) were also detected on scanners of one or more BAS machine scanners.
4. There was not a single machine which was negative for multiple-drug-resistant (MDR) and potentially pathogenic microbes.
Yes, it is one of the primordial study, to reveal that Biometric machines are as dirty as so many other common objects. But at that time superbugs and ESKAPE organisms were not so big threats. Moreover, use of biometric machines as tool of attendance (contact two times in day with hundreds of dirty hands) was not common.
@zimmerman cites a paper from Purdue University in 2007 that gives a very balanced view: bacteria added artificially to the glass surfaces died within 20 min. Moreover, it is important to take into account the numbers. Surprisingly large numbers of bacteria are required to produce an infection. They also found that similar numbers and types of bacteria were found on door knobs, and they must be present on all surfaces commonly touched by people. Just because E coli can cause meningitis, it certainly does not follow that it will do so. Remember the reports "your mobile phone can kill you!" because of all the bacteria on it but I don't think it has happened yet. The only exception to all this is perhaps on touch screens in operating rooms, where even surgeons' gloved fingers are sometimes used to touch screens of equipment, and this is more of a risk as far fewer bacteria can cause an infection in an open wound.
Please, See our Latest publication on this aspect.
Article Bacteria on fingerprint scanners of biometric attendance machines
- Badges
- Science method