Germs Abound on Office Phones, Chairs, Desks
Most bacteria originated from either oral or nasal cavities.
You may want to clear out your work space and break out the disinfecting wipes: Your area is swarming with bacteria, most of which is human in origin, according to a new research.
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Germs like cold viruses and bacteria can live in some unexpected spots. Here are six surprisingly dirty places in your home -- like your kitchen sink -- and what you can do to protect yourself.
More than five hundred bacterial genera were recognized based on an analysis of feasible heterotropic bacteria cultivated off office space surfaces in most of three cities. There were extremely significant differences in bacterial abundance among surfaces, genders, and cities, reported Scott
Kelley, PhD, from San Diego State University, and colleagues in PLoS One.
However, they pointed out that most of the human-associated bacteria were "commensals," which indicates a symbiotic relationship between two organisms, where one organism benefits but the other is neutral.
"Humans are spending an increasing amount of time indoors, yet we know little about the diversity of bacteria and viruses where we live, work and play," Kelley said in a statement. "This study provides detailed baseline information about the rich bacterial communities in typical office settings and insight into the sources of these organisms."
Chairs and phones were the most contaminated surfaces while spaces inhabited by men were more germ-ridden compared with areas where women worked, they noted. Also, offices in San Francisco tended to be less contaminated than offices in New York and in Tucson, Ariz.
For the current study, the authors combined culture-based cell counting and multiplexed pyrosequencing of environmental ribosomal RNA gene sequences. This "deep-sequencing approach" allowed for broader sampling and more detailed sequencing. They chose offices in the three cities because they offered diverse climate regimes.
For the current study, the authors combined culture-based cell counting and multiplexed pyrosequencing of environmental ribosomal RNA gene sequences. This "deep-sequencing approach" allowed for broader sampling and more detailed sequencing. They chose offices in the three cities because they offered diverse climate regimes.
They swabbed about 13 cm2 of the same surfaces in every building: chairs, phones, computer mice, computer keyboards, and desktops.
Previous studies of office buildings have reported 106 bacteria per cubic meter in an ever-changing microbial environment. In 2008, Finnish researchers discovered hundreds of unique microbial lineages (OTUs) at just two different office buildings (BMC Microbiol online, April 8, 2008).
Bacteroidetes is associated with the human digestive tract and the genera does include pathogens, but the sequence information that the authors collected could not distinguish bacterial strains or species. They swabbed about 13 cm2 of the same surfaces in every building: chairs, phones, computer mice, computer keyboards, and desktops.
Previous studies of office buildings have reported 106 bacteria per cubic meter in an ever-changing microbial environment. In 2008, Finnish researchers discovered hundreds of unique microbial lineages (OTUs) at just two different office buildings (BMC Microbiol online, April 8, 2008).
Bacteroidetes is associated with the human digestive tract and the genera does include pathogens, but the sequence information that the authors collected could not distinguish bacterial strains or species. They swabbed about 13 cm2 of the same surfaces in every building: chairs, phones, computer mice, computer keyboards, and desktops.
They found that human oral and nasal cavities as well as skin were the primary sources of office bacterial contamination. Proteobacteria (Salmonella, Helicobacter) was the most common, followed by Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Together, these groups made up nearly 90 percent of the sequences, the authors said.
Other bacterial genera noted in the study were associated with soils and with some environmental sources such as microbacteriaceae.
As for the differences in contamination levels based on gender, Kelley's group offered two possible explanations: Men are perceived as being less hygienic than women (washing their hands less frequently) and they also may shed more bacteria into the environment simply because they are generally larger than women.
Finally, the samples from Tucson were quite different than those from New York and San Francisco, probably because of the desert soils. For instance, bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria were essentially absent in the Tucson samples but were seen in samples in the other cities.
While the bacteria levels reported in the current study would probably only pose a problem for people who have severely compromised immune systems, these findings in "nominally 'healthy' buildings"could be useful for identifying sick building syndrome, the authors said.
The 549 bacterial genera found in this study was much higher than the 283 unique OTUs discovered in the Finnish study, the authors said, most likely because of broader sampling and deeper sequencing. But the results were in line with studies on airplane bacterial contamination (ISME Journal online, February 7, 2008).
Other bacterial genera noted in the study were associated with soils and with some environmental sources such as microbacteriaceae.
As for the differences in contamination levels based on gender, Kelley's group offered two possible explanations: Men are perceived as being less hygienic than women (washing their hands less frequently) and they also may shed more bacteria into the environment simply because they are generally larger than women.
Finally, the samples from Tucson were quite different than those from New York and San Francisco, probably because of the desert soils. For instance, bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria were essentially absent in the Tucson samples but were seen in samples in the other cities.
While the bacteria levels reported in the current study would probably only pose a problem for people who have severely compromised immune systems, these findings in "nominally 'healthy' buildings"could be useful for identifying sick building syndrome, the authors said.
The 549 bacterial genera found in this study was much higher than the 283 unique OTUs discovered in the Finnish study, the authors said, most likely because of broader sampling and deeper sequencing. But the results were in line with studies on airplane bacterial contamination (ISME Journal online, February 7, 2008).
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