Have you ever thought about what kind of foreign elements are housed in the case of your mobile phone? An investigation led by students of Biochemistry and Pharmacy at the Franz Tamayo University, Unifranz, reveals a high microbiological load in these devices.
Staphylococcus aureus, mesophilic aerobes, Escherichia coli, molds and yeasts are some of the microorganisms that we can find on cell phones and that are the cause of some diseases that affect people, causing gastrointestinal infections, vomiting, stomach cramps, skin conditions, infections in the respiratory tract, pneumonia, cough or sinusitis, among others.
“Learning by doing”, understood as combining theoretical knowledge with practical and human skills, in the training stage, is a quality at Unifranz. In this framework, Charlene Murillo, Daniela Tavera, Verania Rozales, Leiddy Aguilar and Fátima Poquiviqui –future graduates in Biochemistry and Pharmacy–, together with the guidance of the institution’s teachers, led the research.
For Charlene, who is in the eighth semester and dreams of working in the area of microbiology and food science at an industrial level, “knowing the microorganisms that some phones contain can help us better understand the spread of diseases and work preventively on cleaning and disinfecting our phones.” devices”.
Learn by doing to graduate with experience
“Learning by doing allows students to visualize challenges and problems to solve; Being entirely practical, they seek to integrate training areas and validate the development of professional skills. The evaluation of these projects allows us to demonstrate comprehensive training, the strengthening of the Unifranz educational model, centered on the student and, above all, it guarantees that our professionals graduate with experience,” says Dr. Carlos Dabdoub, vice-rector of Unifranz Santa Cruz. , in time to describe the origin of the students’ interaction.
The samples were taken from the screen, edge and back of about a hundred cell phones and as a result it was obtained that 75% were found with Staphylococcus aureus, 14% with Escherichia coli, 98% with mesophilic aerobes, 38 % with molds and 80% with yeasts, explains Mary Cruz Martínez Torrez, professor of Biochemistry and Pharmacy at Unifranz.
By confronting real-world problems, students develop essential skills and gain a deeper understanding of their field of study, demonstrating that “learning by doing” is a valuable and effective educational strategy.
Gustavo Jáuregui, general manager of the National Chamber of Commerce (CNC), highlights the methodology that Unifranz uses in the training of professionals and assures that it is necessary for universities to generate a mix of experiences and skills so that their professionals have all the tools to succeed in the world of work.
“Prior experience and practice can be valuable for the successful future of new professionals, but they are not necessarily decisive. The future of work will demand a combination of skills and experiences; Therefore, new professionals must focus their efforts on developing soft skills, learning continuously, thinking creatively and acquiring practical experience,” she says.
From communication instrument to disease carrier
The mobile phone, today, is an indispensable tool for human life. It is used as a means of communication, work tool, camera, filmer, recorder, calculator, among others. Since the appearance of social networks, users do not get rid of it even to go to the bathroom.
With more than 15 billion mobile devices (cellular) circulating around the world, until the end of 2022 and a projection of 18 billion by 2025, cell phones almost double the total world population.
“We carry our cell phones in our hands, we bring them close to our mouth, ear or brush the skin of our faces at least a dozen times a day. Therefore, this type of contribution from scientific research is important, to work on preventive campaigns in the area of health to avoid diseases,” says the future Unifranz professional.
