Sloppy Men Many germs in men's offices

Bacterial burden in men's offices much higher

05/31/2012

The overall bacterial load is significantly higher in men's offices than in women's offices Researchers at the Institute of Biology at San Diego State University in California and the University of Arizona at Tucson have found significantly more microbes in the study of 90 offices in men's workplaces than on those of women.

The men are generally less concerned about their hygiene, but also their height play a role in the increased bacterial load, write the scientists to study director Scott Kelley and Krissi Hewitt of San Diego State University in the journal „PloS ONE“. According to the researchers are „Men have been known to wash their hands and brush their teeth less often than women.“ Add to this the average larger surface of the skin as well as the nasal and oral cavity „and thus a relatively larger surface area for bacterial colonization“, Kelley and colleagues explained the increased germ burden in men's offices.

The men are generally less concerned about their hygiene, but also their height play a role in the increased bacterial load, write the scientists to study director Scott Kelley and Krissi Hewitt of San Diego State University in the journal „PloS ONE“. According to the researchers are „Men have been known to wash their hands and brush their teeth less often than women.“ Add to this the average larger surface of the skin as well as the nasal and oral cavity „and thus a relatively larger surface area for bacterial colonization“, Kelley and colleagues explained the increased germ burden in men's offices.

Telephones and chairs most heavily loaded with bacteria
„People in developed countries spend around 90 percent of their lives indoors, yet we know little about the origin and diversity of microbes in built-up environments“, the US scientists justified their current investigation. In their study, they examined the bacterial load in 90 offices in three US cities. The researchers used a sterile cotton swab to take samples of the surface of the chairs, telephones, computer mice, PC keyboards and desks from each 30 offices in New York, San Francisco and Tucson. Differences in bacterial load were clearly observed with regard to the individual surfaces as well as the gender of the resident employees. Chairs and telephone receivers were the most heavily loaded, while the bacterial load on the computer mice, keyboards and desk surface was much lower. In terms of gender, the microbes were more common among the men's offices than in the women's offices. In addition, the researchers detected slight variations in germ levels in each city, which they find difficult to interpret. The situation is different with regard to gender differences. Here, the researchers see a clear connection between the bacterial load at the workplace and the hygiene behavior and the height of men.

Over 500 different bacterial species detected
Overall, in the samples of the women's and men's offices, although the „same types of bacteria in similar proportions“, but the number was significantly higher on the workplaces of men, the US researchers report. Over 500 different bacterial species have been found, but most do not pose a significant health risk. However, the scientists discovered according to their own information „also a surprising number of germs originating from the human digestive tract ", which indicates the poor hygiene of the office workers and some germs that can cause infectious diseases in humans their immune system is already weakened, says Kelley and colleagues.

Bacteria from hot springs in the office?
In addition to the expected bacteria, the researchers also discovered some soil microbes that were known to be found in hot springs and other extremely warm environments. Although it was „At first glance, these species are very strange to find in office buildings, "but the bacteria have been detected in other indoor spaces, the US researchers report, „how well these resistant organisms can survive and spread“, so Kelley and colleagues continue. While humans are unlikely to be the source of bacterial load in these rather rare bacteria, much of the bacterial contamination in the office is due to workers themselves. Most of the bacteria found „inhabit the human skin, the oral or nasal cavities“, so the statement of the US researchers.

determination „healthier“ office building
„The members of the proteobacteria were most abundant on all surfaces, followed by Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes; taken together, this group accounted for almost 90 percent of the sequences“, write Kelley and colleagues. Among the proven types of bacteria that are considered as potential pathogens include, for example, streptococci, staphylococci and Shigella. There „We humans spend more and more time indoors“ If we spend a lot of time, we should know what kind of germ load there is, explained the US researchers. The information collected on microbial diversity in office buildings could help here, nominally „healthy“ To identify buildings and in the „suffer“ Office building to determine possible microbial causes, which diseases could be avoided in the employees, the conclusion of the US researchers in the article „Bacterial abundance and diversity in office space in three metropolitan areas“. (Fp)