Bacteria grows unseen on everyday items

What surfaces on Stephens campus are the most disgusting?

Stephens Life conducted a basic bacteria test by collecting samples from commonly touched surfaces, harvesting samples to see what lived, unseen, on each.

After testing many surfaces around campus, it is clear that it is not always the usual suspects that have the most potential for spreading germs, and constantly cleaning those surfaces might not help.

As seen in the photographs above, Stephens Life tested several surfaces: personal cell phones and water bottles, keyboards and mice from the computer labs, bathroom door handles and water fountains. What was found was surprising.   

As seen in figure 7, the keyboards in the Mac labs are a breeding ground. Without much effort, hundreds of bacteria cultures grew from simply swabbing the keys. In addition, swabs of the mice in the Mac lab proved bacteria-laden.

Keyboards, mice and cell phones provide the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. They are warm and constantly being touched by one's hands and, for phones, against one's face. It's no wonder that these surfaces have more skin bacteria, like staphylococcus aureus also known as staph infection, than toilet seats, door handles and other commonly touched items.

So what does this mean for technology lovers who can't see themselves using their devices any less because they are bacteria breeding grounds?

Lois Bichler, a microbiologist and the head of the biology department at Stephens, believes this fact shows people must learn how to efficiently deal with the germs.

"Most people believe that the dirtiest places on campus are the community bathrooms and the surfaces within them. What they should be more worried about are their toothbrushes that sit in the bathrooms in their shower caddies that absorb the millions of bacteria from fecal matter that is spread into the air every time someone flushes the toilet," Bichler said.

Bacteria are everywhere, all the time. There are a multitude of different types of illness -causing bacteria on every surface of the Earth. It's important to be smart about protecting against bacteria.

Washing hands after things such as using the restroom and handling raw meat are givens. Bichler also said that there are many bacteria out there that are not harmful, but helpful or even necessary to living a healthy life.  

"In today's ‘germaphobic' society, it is unlikely to go into a restroom and not find anti-bacterial hand soap. The world is constantly coating their hands with hand sanitizer and disinfecting everything they touch. In the end, this is more hurtful than helpful," she said.  

Bichler explains that bacteria is a naturally occurring organism that sustains itself off the healthy cells in the human body, using people as hosts. By killing the naturally occurring bacteria on hands with anti-bacterial soap, people  deplete their natural abilities to fight bacteria they want avoid.

The cleanliness craze is also creating bacteria that can resist the anti-bacterial agents, replicate and become stronger, resulting in bacteria that are now resistant to drugs. This, Bichler and other microbiologists feel, is a bigger problem than dirty public bathrooms.

"Moderation is key. You don't want to expose yourself to harmful germs that will make you sick, but you also need to allow your body to naturally fight off those germs that it can handle. That is why it is important to keep your personal items, like cell phones and toothbrushes, clean and not be so worried about the door handles outside your classrooms."

This theory was exemplified by this mini-experiment.

As seen in figure 8, after cleaning the same keyboard from figure 7 with rubbing alcohol, the Petri dish grew no bacteria. The same results came from the face of the cell phone in figures 2 and 3. After cleaning, the cell phone face dish did not grow bacteria.

It is also important not to allow bacteria to morph into its resistant form within the body.

To prevent this, take and finish antibiotics when fighting an infection. Bichler explains that once the bacteria has taken its resistant form, it can no longer be stopped and, if it is spread to others, can cause a pandemic.

According to the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) website, antibiotic use has been beneficial and, when prescribed and taken correctly, their value in patient care is enormous. These drugs have been used so widely and for so long, however, that the infectious organisms the antibiotics are designed to kill have adapted, making the drugs less effective.

With winter and "flu-season" fast approaching, there are multiple things one can do to avoid bacteria and illness, while staying healthy and not overusing antibacterials. According to the CDC, there are multiple educational tools outlining how to deal with germs, such as how to relieve symptoms of illnesses yet avoid unnecessary antibiotics.

Although bacteria is prevalent on campus, as seen in the visuals accompanying this article, taking the right steps can help one stay healthy this season.

Washing hands and cleaning personal things frequently, coupled with proper use of antibiotics and backing away from the sanitizer every once in a while, can help to keep the bacteria at bay.

"If bacteria were really a huge problem on campus, a lot more people would be sick or have problems resulting from it," Bichler said.