title: A Comparative Analysis of Bacterial Growth with Earphone Use
creator: Mukhopadhyay, Chiranjay
creator: Basak, Soham
creator: Gupta, Soham
creator: Chawla, Kiran
creator: Bairy, Indira
subject: Online Journal of Health and Allied Sciences
description: Background: Recently the worldwide usage of earphones has increased especially among the school and college students who have a high rate of sharing among them. Alike airline headsets, headphones and stethoscope ear-pieces, ear phones can easily be a vector of potential pathogens, which can give rise to otitis externa. Purpose: To compare the bacterial growth of the external ear in association with earphone and assess the role of earphones as vector or microorganisms. Material and Methods: 50 voluntary male subjects (age 18-25 years) were chosen and divided into two groups, A and B, according to the use of earphones. Swabs were taken from their left ear and the left earpiece of the earphone. Samples were processed as recommended. Results: In group A, bacteria were found in 20 (80%) ear and 14 (56%) earphone swabs. In group B, bacteria were found in 23 (92%) ear and 17 (68%) earphone swabs. Group B showed heavy growth and a significant increase in the number of bacterial growths after frequent and constant use. Conclusion: Frequent and constant use of earphones increases the bacterial growth in the ear and sharing of earphones might be a potential vector of commensals. It is therefore, always better not to share or else to clean the earphones before sharing
publisher: Dr. B.S. Kakkilaya
contributor: Kakkilaya, Dr. Srinivas
date: 2008-07-21
type: Journal (On-line/Unpaginated)
type: PeerReviewed
format: application/pdf
identifier: http://cogprints.org/6200/1/2008-2-4.pdf
identifier:   Mukhopadhyay, Chiranjay and Basak, Soham and Gupta, Soham and Chawla, Kiran and Bairy, Indira  (2008) A Comparative Analysis of Bacterial Growth with Earphone Use.  [Journal (On-line/Unpaginated)]     
relation: http://cogprints.org/6200/