Carla Gray: Dishing the dirt on germs' everyday hiding places

As cash machines are exposed for harbouring as many germs as public toilets, Carla Gray discovers other hotspots for hidden bacteria

It is that time of year when coughing and spluttering is par for the course as most of us miserably fail to fight off all the bugs flying around.

It is no wonder so many of us are falling ill when you learn that the average cash machine is as germ-laden as the seat of a public toilet.

Swab tests carried out by Bio-Cote, a firm specialising in anti-bacterial products, found equal amounts of bacteria which causes sickness and diarrhoea at both locations.

So could we be putting ourselves at greater risk by not taking enough care to avoid germ traps?

What sources of potential infections are we best advised to give a body-swerve and is it worth arming ourselves with hospital-style alcohol hand gel?

Hugh Pennington, Professor Emeritus of Bacteriology at Aberdeen University, is not surprised by the discovery of bugs on ATMs.

One likely culprit is Staphylococcus aureus, which grows in the nose and can cause everything from minor skin complaints to pneumonia and meningitis.

"If someone picks their nose and then uses the ATM there will almost certainly be Staph on the buttons," he says. "And if somebody else comes along and touches it and picks their nose, I'd be very surprised if there wasn't an element of transmission."

Other bugs lurk in places that have not been cleaned properly. "Norovirus, the winter vomiting virus, causes problems in areas where there's been environmental contamination such as carpets. You don't actually have to have visible vomit, it can be passed on the wind."

Prof Pennington says washing your hands with soap and water may be as effective as more extreme measures.

"If you're washing with a bit of soap that doubles the effect. You don't have to be doing it to operating theatre standards because you're just taking the surface off."

But before you worry too much, the professor points out germs are unable to live for very long on inanimate surfaces, and that you are more likely to pick a bug from your nearest and dearest. "In the home you get spread just by personal contact," he warns. "That's where hand washing is really important."

Here though are some risks perhaps best avoided:

Mobile phones

Last year a survey by the Which? consumer group showed that mobile phones contain on average 18 times more bacteria than is on the flush handle on a toilet. The survey showed that almost a third of the phones surveyed had high levels of bacteria, while others were contaminated with traces of faecal matter and a family of bacteria known as Enterobacteriaceae which includes bugs such as Salmonella and E.coli. Although mobile phones are normally only used by one person, the bacteria could be transmitted if the phone is passed between users when doing things like looking at photos.Reusable shopping bags

A US university study found that these bags can be a breeding ground for food-borne bacteria and pose a serious risk to public health. A random test of reusable bags showed the main threat was from coliform bacteria including E. coli. The researchers said biggest danger came when people put items such as cheese, or raw meat into the bags and then forgot about.

Ketchup bottles in restaurants

Health magazine Prevention points out that it's rare for eating places to clean condiment containers with bleach and the reality is that many people don't wash their hands before eating, meaning bacteria could remain on the bottles in the right conditions. The magazine recommends squirting hand sanitiser on the bottle or using a disinfectant wipe.

Handbags

Women take their handbags everywhere, usually without a thought of where they set them down. But whether you tuck them under your chair or rest them on the toilet floor, there's potential for them to come into contact with harmful bacteria. Delving into the contents of the bag, there's even more bacteria that can be found in cosmetics. Bacteria likes moist, warm conditions and make-up is an ideal home.

Toothbrushes

Toothbrushes can pick up bacteria every time a toilet is flushed, although bacteria usually dies off if the brush can dry between uses. Storing toothbrushes in the medicine cabinet, away from the toilet, could help.

Remote controls

It's estimated that remote controls are home to more than 300 bacteria per square inch. To cut the risk, disinfectant wipes are recommended to kill the germs on the surfaces.