Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University. Lagos State, Nigeria.

*Corresponding Authors’ Contact Details: E-mail Address ✉: okwaomolade@hotmail.com; Mobile Phone no ☎: +234(0) 8028313362

Accepted September 23, 2020

Smart-Phones (SPs) are indispensable devices operated with fingertips (FTs) which put pathogens on SPs. Addiction to the use of SPs is a concern among Nigerian students. Studies on contamination of SPs with parasitic stages (Ps) has not received deserved interest. We examined 500 SPs and 500 FTs of 500 students of Lagos State University, Nigeria for Gastrointestinal Parasites (GIPs). Samples were collected with sterile swabs, sedimented and examined microscopically. Questionnaires determined student’s data and risk factors that influenced infestations. We observed that 290 (58%) of SPs and 350 (70%) of FTs had Ps and all students with infested SPs had infested FTs. Female students’ SPs had more Ps 160 (55.2%) than SPs of males 130 (44.8%). However, male students’ FTs had more Ps 180 (51.4%) than FTs of females 170 (48.5%) but were not statistically significant (P< 0.05). The most recovered Ps were Entamoeba coli cyst 110 (22%) on SPs and FTs and Ascaris lumbricoides ova 50 (17.2%) on SPs and 60 (17.1%) on FTs. Identified risk factors were lack of hand washing (0.04%), use of SPs in toilets (65.5%), sharing of SPs (62%) and only 60 (20.6%) cleaned their SPs. The right index FT was most preferred in operating SPs. Regular hand washing, cleaning SPs, avoidance of sharing SPs and non-usage of SPs in toilets will reduce transmission of GIPs.

Key words: Fingertips, Gastrointestinal Parasites, Nigeria, Smart-Phones, Students.

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