Dangerous bacteria stay in the airplane for a long time

Dangerous bacteria survive for days in airplanes

05/21/2014

Dangerous pathogens often survive for days in airplanes, according to a US study. On armrests, seats or toilets intestinal germs and antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be found and can thus infect other passengers.

Dangerous bacteria settle for days
According to a new US study, dangerous bacteria can accumulate for days on aircraft surfaces. Thus, the antibiotic-resistant germ MRSA (Methillicin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) was stuck to the pocket on the back of an airplane seat for up to a week, the researchers reported at the annual American Society for Microbiology conference in Boston on Tuesday. And also the Ehec pathogen E. coli 0157: H7, which occurs in the intestine, was up to four days on an armrest to prove according to the scientists.

Transmission by skin contact
„Our research shows that these bacteria can survive for several days on certain surfaces, resulting in a risk of skin contact transmission“, said the main author of the study, the biologist Kiril Waglenow from the University of Auburn in the US state of Alabama. The bacterial strain MRSA, also known as a hospital germ, can cause serious to fatal infections. Particularly vulnerable are people with a weakened immune system and older people. An infection can cause various symptoms, such as inflammation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, or blood poisoning. MRSA is resistant to most common antibiotics such as penicillin. Meanwhile, the bacterium has been known for over 50 years.

More effective methods of purification are being explored
But infectious agents from the gut, for which there are currently no treatment options, worry the experts. These include, for example, certain Escherichia coli, which form enzymes and fight back against the antibiotics. Scientists placed the bacteria on armrests, folding trays, or metal buttons in aircraft toilets for laboratory testing and set them „aircraft typical conditions“ out. Currently, the researchers in other studies, even other pathogens, such as tuberculosis, under the microscope. In addition, they want to explore more effective methods for cleaning surfaces in aircraft and to test antimicrobial materials. (Sb)