Prevalence, Virulence Determinants, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli Isolated from Computer Devices Used by Staff and Students at a Northern Thailand University

Computer devices in university settings are frequently shared and repeatedly handled, making them potential reservoirs for pathogenic bacteria. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, virulence determinants, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> isolated from computer devices used by staff and students at a university in Northern Thailand. A total of 400 computer devices were sampled, with each device defined as a single sampling unit comprising both the keyboard and computer mouse. Bacterial identification was performed using PCR, while staphylococcal enterotoxin (<i>se</i>) genes and diarrheagenic <i>E. coli</i> (DEC)-associated virulence genes were detected by PCR. Antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed using the disk diffusion method. Overall, 74 (18.5%) <i>S. aureus</i> isolates and 6 (1.5%) <i>E. coli</i> isolates were recovered. The highest prevalence of <i>S. aureus</i> was observed among personal-use student computer devices (29%; <i>p</i> < 0.001), whereas <i>E. coli</i> was most frequently detected on public-use staff computer devices (4%). Among <i>S. aureus</i> isolates, 24.3% (18/74) carried at least one <i>se</i> gene, with sec being the most prevalent (13.5%). Half of the <i>E. coli</i> isolates harbored the <i>astA</i> gene. Low resistance rates (<10%) were observed among <i>S. aureus</i>; however, four isolates (5.4%) were classified as MRSA, three of which exhibited multidrug resistance. All <i>E. coli</i> isolates were resistant to ampicillin, and 50% displayed multidrug-resistant phenotypes. These findings suggest that computer devices can act as occasional reservoirs of potentially pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in university environments.