Germs

Germs that reside on doctors' lab coats, nurses' uniforms and hospital bed curtains are known to contribute to an unacceptably high rate of hospital-acquired infections. And that's just for starters. It turns out that papers passed around hospital offices, labs and patient rooms are potent transmitters of germs too. The fact that paper can carry bacteria is not a surprise. Other studies have demonstrated how filthy paper money is. The new study , however, makes clear that hospitals need to treat paper-transmitted bacteria seriously because the germs transfer from hand to paper so easily.

Germs that reside on doctors' lab coats, nurses' uniforms and hospital bed curtains are known to contribute to an unacceptably high rate of hospital-acquired infections. And that's just for starters. It turns out that papers passed around hospital offices, labs and patient rooms are potent transmitters of germs too. The fact that paper can carry bacteria is not a surprise. Other studies have demonstrated how filthy paper money is. The new study , however, makes clear that hospitals need to treat paper-transmitted bacteria seriously because the germs transfer from hand to paper so easily.

One of my co-workers always asks for a slice of lemon in his water. I shudder every time I see that piece of lemon floating in his glass, but I don't have the nerve to tell him it's probably loaded with germs. Am I mistaken? You are correct. Microbiologist Anne LaGrange Loving was served a Diet Coke with a slice of lemon she had not requested. She decided to check whether the lemon was likely to be contaminated. She and her co-author surreptitiously swabbed 76 lemon slices served at 21 different restaurants, then cultured the results.

In South Africa, they call him "Dr. Death. " Wouter Basson, who ran the apartheid government's secret germ and chemical warfare program, Project Coast, once was accused of trying to create poisons that were lethal only to blacks. He was acquitted by a judge in 2002 of charges that included murder and drug possession. But more than 20 years after he ran Project Coast, Basson's quiet life as a cardiologist in Cape Town is being threatened. He is facing an inquiry by the Health Professions Council of South Africa for unethical conduct.

Cellphones are everywhere. Perhaps one place they shouldn't be is at hospital bedsides. According to a new study, cellphones used by patients and visitors are twice as likely to contain potentially dangerous bacteria compared with the mobile phones used by healthcare workers. Previous studies have focused on the threat of germs on the phones of healthcare workers but not others who visit hospitals. The authors of the study, conducted in Turkey, took swabs from 200 cellphones. About one-third of the phones belonged to healthcare workers and the rest belonged to patients and visitors.

Wash your hands early and often. That's standard advice for preventing the flu. But that's not always practical. If hand-washing isn't possible, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests using alcohol-based hand rubs. Studies show that products with sufficient alcohol content are effective at reducing the number of viral and bacterial germs on the hands. These products are also quick and convenient. Note that only hand sanitizers that contain at least 60% alcohol are effective.

Hands-free electronic faucets can save a lot of water -- and because you don't have to touch them with your grubby fingers to turn them on, have widely been assumed to help fight the spread of germs, too.   But a team at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has discovered that at their facility, electronic faucets were more likely to be contaminated with Legionella bacteria than the old-fashioned manual type.   So much more likely that the hospital actually ripped out the new-fangled plumbing in patient care areas, and elected to purchase traditional fixtures for new clinical buildings that are set to open in 2012.

Some people have a healthy fear of germs, and then there are the neurotics for whom every doorknob, airplane pillow and hotel towel poses a health hazard. Here's a reality check on some common concerns: ?  Restroom doorknobs: Some travelers are adamant about not touching a restroom door or doorknob when they leave, anxious that others have not washed their hands. That's not as neurotic as some might think, says Dr. Peter Galier, chief of staff at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.

Children raised on farms don't suffer from asthma as much as their city- and suburb-dwelling counterparts, according to a paper published online Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. But it's not necessarily because of the fresh air, full sun and hard work, researchers say -- it's because of the germs. Scientists had known that many of the things associated with farm life -- unpasteurized milk, exposure to animals such as cows and pigs, and hay -- helped kids grow up with stronger constitutions, perhaps because they were being exposed to harmless, even beneficial, bacteria along the way. To test this hypothesis, the researchers analyzed samples of house dust to look at the microbes within.

First, a really bad Germs bio-pic, followed by three 50-year-olds and a TV actor impersonating the dead lead singer playing live as the band ["With Shane West, 'New' Germs Spreading," Dec. 27]. It sounds a lot more like "Punk'd" than punk to me. The "new" Germs are the complete antithesis of what was exhilarating and exciting about punk, circa 1977. Nicole Panter Twentynine Palms Panter managed the Germs from 1977-80.

No doubt, summer has its dangers for kids: its Code Red air-quality days, its risk of sunburn, heatstroke, drowning and food poisoning, its poison ivy and whatnot. As conscientious parents reapply sunscreen to their young ones for the 4,000th time, they might well savor the prospect of a return to the safe, secure routines of school. They do so at their children's peril. Schools are a minefield of health hazards — arguably one of the most dangerous possible places for children to be. Spending their days there may not kill our children outright, but a number of recent trends, on top of some long-standing truths about packing children together tightly, makes schools a contributor to the health problems of many children.

Cellphones are everywhere. Perhaps one place they shouldn't be is at hospital bedsides. According to a new study, cellphones used by patients and visitors are twice as likely to contain potentially dangerous bacteria compared with the mobile phones used by healthcare workers. Previous studies have focused on the threat of germs on the phones of healthcare workers but not others who visit hospitals. The authors of the study, conducted in Turkey, took swabs from 200 cellphones. About one-third of the phones belonged to healthcare workers and the rest belonged to patients and visitors.

Hands-free electronic faucets can save a lot of water -- and because you don't have to touch them with your grubby fingers to turn them on, have widely been assumed to help fight the spread of germs, too.   But a team at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has discovered that at their facility, electronic faucets were more likely to be contaminated with Legionella bacteria than the old-fashioned manual type.   So much more likely that the hospital actually ripped out the new-fangled plumbing in patient care areas, and elected to purchase traditional fixtures for new clinical buildings that are set to open in 2012.

Salmonella food poisoning sickens 40,000 Americans a year and there may be 30 times more cases that never get reported, according to the CDC. But some scientists think the nasty microbe could be turned to good purpose: to fight cancers. Sounds odd, but there's a rhyme and reason to such thinking, as described in a pretty interesting news article published in the journal Nature Medicine . (It's one of a number of news articles on cancer topics in the journal this month.) Related: Cancer screening tests you think you should get -- a PSA test and for women in their 40s,  a mammogram -- that might do more harm than good.

Children raised on farms don't suffer from asthma as much as their city- and suburb-dwelling counterparts, according to a paper published online Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. But it's not necessarily because of the fresh air, full sun and hard work, researchers say -- it's because of the germs. Scientists had known that many of the things associated with farm life -- unpasteurized milk, exposure to animals such as cows and pigs, and hay -- helped kids grow up with stronger constitutions, perhaps because they were being exposed to harmless, even beneficial, bacteria along the way. To test this hypothesis, the researchers analyzed samples of house dust to look at the microbes within.

One of my co-workers always asks for a slice of lemon in his water. I shudder every time I see that piece of lemon floating in his glass, but I don't have the nerve to tell him it's probably loaded with germs. Am I mistaken? You are correct. Microbiologist Anne LaGrange Loving was served a Diet Coke with a slice of lemon she had not requested. She decided to check whether the lemon was likely to be contaminated. She and her co-author surreptitiously swabbed 76 lemon slices served at 21 different restaurants, then cultured the results.

As thorough as the article was ("The Wash Cycle," Jan. 26), how about the aspect of transporting germs into your system? If you are in the habit of wetting your fingers to turn pages--or to rub your eyes, nose, etc.--you are helping germs to expand their territory. No matter how diligent you are in washing your hands, the germs will always be there. Just don't give them a chance to shoot you down. AUDREY J. TAYLOR Orange I would like to add something that is worse, and no one has mentioned it. The busboys who (supposedly)

Punk nostalgia is nothing new, but its audience is definitely not limited to aging misfits. Observe the "Waking the Dead" concert Saturday at the Grand Olympic Auditorium, where first-wave punk veterans played to a crowd heavy with young fans in black leather and T-shirts championing such ancients as the Clash and Public Image. Many were barely in their teens, embracing a sound as distant to them as the rock of the 1950s and '60s.

The controversial "five-second rule" — the one that allows us to eat dropped food if it's quickly scooped off the floor — is a bunch of baloney, according to Clemson University food scientist Paul Dawson, who stirred up the long-debated issue in a recent issue of National Geographic. Though previous research has shown we may have up to a minute to rescue certain types of spilled food before it becomes contaminated, Dawson and his students made a strong case for the "zero-second rule.

Swimming may be fun (if you like that kind of thing), but it also carries risks…. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May issued a report showing that one out of eight public pool inspections in 13 states had resulted in immediate closures due to serious code violations. Many of these pools, especially those designed for children, had "disinfectant violations." Improper disinfectant and pH levels (a measure of acidity) can result in transmission of germs that can cause diarrhea, the CDC noted.