Fecal bacteria in beards So germinated as toilets

Fecal bacteria in the beard? What sounds disgusting seems, according to a study of the US TV station "Action 7" in some men, the bitter reality to be. As the broadcaster reports, "a microbiologist was able to detect minute microorganisms in several samples that are normally only found in toilets." How can this be possible??

"Action 7" lets you analyze samples from different beards
Are there more germs in the beard of some men than in the toilet? According to an investigation commissioned by the US channel "Action 7" apparently already. As the TV station reports, "microbiologist John Golobic had analyzed a series of beard smears" previously taken from "a handful of brave men." The surprising result: In several samples were found many "normal" bacteria, in some beards, however, the expert could also detect those that were comparable to those in toilets, so the message from the sender. "Normally I'm not surprised, but I was!", So the reaction of the expert.

Wash hands often and keep away from the face
"These are things that are otherwise found in fecal matter," says John Golobic describing his nauseating finding. Although some of the bacteria would not cause disease, the result is still somewhat disturbing: "It shows a level of impurity that is somewhat disconcerting." To avoid such contamination, Golobic is recommended after a thorough beard and frequent hand washing. "Also try to keep your hands away from your face as much as possible," says the tip.

Large US study with hospital employees comes to a different conclusion
But a beard does not automatically mean an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and germs. A US research team led by E. Wakeam from Boston's "Center for Surgery and Public Health" showed in a study from last year. For this, the scientists had compared the colonization rate of bacteria in the face in 408 male hospital employees with and without facial hair. It was found that workers with facial hair were even less likely to be colonized with Staphylococcus aureus (41.2% vs. 52.6%) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (2.0% vs. 7.0%) than their non-bearded counterparts Report in the "Journal of Hospital Infection". "Our findings suggest that male hospital staff with facial hair no longer harbor potentially worrying bacteria than clean-shaven staff," the researchers concluded. (No)

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