One in six mobile phones home for E. coli: Study

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDOct 17 2011

Researchers in the UK have found that one in six mobiles show traces of fecal matter.

The London's School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine released a study in conjunction with the Queen Mary, University of London which suggests that Britons are not doing a good enough job of washing hands. Experts said the most likely reason for the potentially harmful bacteria festering on so many gadgets was people failing to wash their hands properly with soap after going to the toilet.

The world celebrated Global Handwashing Day on 15^th of October. The study took samples from 390 phones in 12 cities. The researchers found that ninety-five per cent of participants in the study protested that they did wash and yet 9 out of 10 phones and 8 out of 10 pairs of hands are carrying bacteria. The ratio of phones - 1 in 6 - carrying E. coli matched the ratio of dirty hands carrying the bacteria. Thus 16% of hands and 16% of phones were found to harbor E. coli - bacteria of a fecal origin. Harmful E.coli (Escherichia coli) is associated with stomach upsets and has been implicated in serious cases of food poisoning such as the fatal O157 outbreak in Germany in June. Birmingham has the highest proportion of bacteria-ridden phones (41%) but the highest level of E coli contamination was found in London (28%).

Dr. Val Curtis, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said, “This study provides more evidence that some people still don't wash their hands properly, especially after going to the toilet. I hope the thought of having E. coli on their hands and phones encourages them to take more care in the bathroom - washing your hands with soap is such a simple thing to do but there is no doubt it saves lives.”

“The mobile phone is a lovely area for some of the bacteria that we actually started to grow…As you speak on your phone too much, it heats up,” said Dr Ron Cutler from Queen Mary. He added, “While some cities did much better than others, the fact that E coli was present on phones and hands in every location shows this is a nationwide problem. People may claim they wash their hands regularly but the science shows otherwise.” Fecal bacteria can survive on hands and surfaces for hours at a time, especially in warmer temperatures away from sunlight. It is easily transferred by touch to door handles, food and even mobile phones. In developed countries, hand washing with soap helps to prevent the spread of viral infections, such as norovirus, rotavirus and influenza.