There's a new paper in PLoS One on the biogeography of public restrooms (full text
here). In other words, some investigators cultured various surfaces in 12 bathrooms on a university campus and then mapped out areas where groups of bacteria (e.g., skin flora, gut flora, genitourinary tract flora, and soil organisms) were found. The results were quite predictable. Soil organisms were dominant on floor surfaces (brought in via shoes), skin organisms dominated on faucets, and fecal organisms dominated on toilet surfaces. Of note, toilet flush handles were found to harbor both fecal organisms and soil organisms, and the authors postulate that the soil organsims are deposited there when people flush toilets with their feet in order to avoid touching the flush handle with their hands.
Ironically, one of the sponsors of the study was the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the foundation started by an infamous germophobe.
So for all of you using the bathroom in an airport, train or bus station on this Thanksgiving eve: Wash your hands! And turn off the faucet with a paper towel.
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