You may wonder where microorganisms come from. You’ve likely heard that they’re everywhere, and even live in our bodies. Below we will discuss what microorganisms are, and why good disinfection practices are crucial to protect your health.
What is a Microorganism?
The word ‘microorganism’ refers to the microscopic life forms that inhabit the world. This includes different species from the virus, bacteria, protists, and fungus kingdoms. Microorganisms can cause nasty infections and disease outbreaks. However, they have a very sophisticated and important relationship with animals and plants. Life wouldn’t be possible without microorganisms.
Microorganism Hotspots
Although microorganisms exist naturally, bacteria, virus, fungi, and other microbes can cause serious problems when they’re allowed to replicate uncontrollably. Controlling microorganism populations is key to ensuring safe living spaces and workplaces. Problematic microorganisms may be concentrated in a number of places:
1) Your Body
- Hands: How many microorganisms are on your hands alone? At any given time there are more than 3000 bacteria representing over 100 species (Mayo Clinic).
- Body: 10,000 microbial species occupy the human ecosystem. Moreover, between 81 and 99 percent of all microorganisms in healthy adults (National Institute of Health).
- Lungs: The maximum amount of air you can forcibly exhale from your lungs after fully inhaling. It is about 80 percent of total capacity, or 4.8 litres (*4.8 L= 0.17 cu ft.) (American lung Association).
2) Air
An average human breathes in between 100,000 and 1 million microorganisms belonging to over 1,000 different types each day, with at least 725 species of them constantly present in the air around us. (Nanyang Technological University). A person’s mere presence in a room can add 37 million bacteria to the air every hour (Yale University- Science magazine).
3) HVAC
4) Curtains
This is particularly true of the curtains seen in hospitals, long term homes, clinics, offices and public buildings used to separate patients and provide privacy. More than a fifth of 1,500 samples taken from six post-acute care nursing facilities were laced with one or more dangerous bacteria, including the hospital bug MRSA, researchers found. But even in other types of offices and buildings, the curtains are rarely cleaned and make a good host for bacteria that survive within the fabric (Medical Express).
5) Faucets and Drinking Fountains
School water fountains and faucets are at an increased risk because they are shared by everybody and the presence of water itself favours bacteria. The National Sanitation Foundation, which tests elementary schools for bacterial content, also found that more bacteria was found in drinking fountains than in bathrooms. In their study, 2.7 million bacterial cells were found per square inch.
6) Furniture
Different pieces of furniture such as chairs and couches, tables, beds etc. can be contaminated and may be difficult to clean. Microorganisms have the capacity to survive on fabrics for the following day:
Survival of Bacterial and Fungal Isolates on Various Fabrics (US National Library of Medicine)
Length of survival (Number of Days) of individual isolates
| Microorganism | Cotton | Cotton-Polyester | Wool | Silk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
E. faecium | 49 | 51 | 49 | 49 |
S. aureus | 37 | 37 | 41 | 37 |
E. coli | 45 | 37 | 45 | 45 |
P. aeruginosa | 13 | 23 | 33 | 33 |
A. baumannii | 19 | 19 | 7 | 19 |
S. maltophilia | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
C. albicans | 6 | 6 | 12 | 12 |
C. tropicalis | 3 | 9 | >30 | 24 |
C. krusei | 3 | 6 | >30 | 21 |
C. glabrata | >30 | >30 | >30 | >30 |
C. parapsilosis | >30 | >30 | >30 | >30 |
G. candidum | 21 | 6 | 12 | 6 |
A. fumigatus | >30 | >30 | >30 | 27 |
C. neoformans | >30 | >30 | >30 | >30 |
7) Telephones
Telephones are clearly a possible source of infection. People touch them with their hands holding them close to their face for prolonged periods of time. In fact, cell phones have been reported to have more germs than a toilet seat. Seven times more to be exact. Some of the bacteria that can be found on mobile phones include MRSA, E.Coli, Strep, Mold, and C-difficile (Cleveland Clinic).
Bacteria Isolated From Mobile Phone Surfaces (US National Library of Medicine)
Bacteria (N = 25) before and after disinfection and reduction of contamination
| Microorganism | Before Disinfection | After Disinfection | Reduction of the Contamination |
|---|---|---|---|
Staphylococcus aureus | 5 (20%) | 2 (8%) | 60.00% |
CoNS | 19 (76%) | 7 (28%) | 63.20% |
Bacillus spp. | 9 (36%) | 1 (4%) | 88.90% |
Micrococcus spp. | 9 (36%) | 1 (4%) | 88.90% |
Enteric bacteria | 3 (12%) | 0 (0%) | 100% |
8) Elevators
Elevators are an often overlooked hiding spot for microorganisms. They are a small, confined space shared by everybody, and require users to push buttons to operate it. Did you know that the amount of bacteria on a commercial elevator button is nearly 40x higher than on a public toilet seat (Stanley Elevator Company)?
Bacteria Cultured From Elevator Buttons and Toilet Surfaces (US National Library of Medicine)
| Microorganism | Sampling Site No. (N = 120) | % of Samples (N = 96) |
|---|---|---|
Staphylococcus | 67 (56) | 35 (36) |
Streptococcus | 11 (9) | 7 (7) |
Coliform bacteria | 10 (8) | 2 (2) |
Enterococcus | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
Enteric bacteria | 3 (12%) | 0 (0%) |
Pseudomonas | 1 (1) | 1 (1) |
Miscellaneous | 2 (2) | 4 (4) |
9) Kitchen Appliances
Do you know how long cold microorganisms can live on surfaces? The answer is about seven days. Most workplaces have a kitchen area or lounge where employees can share meals. Although this is, of course, better than eating and working in the same place, many types of microorganism can be found here. Specifically, the buttons and handle on the microwave and the refrigerator can become particularly nasty. Also, any leftover morsel of food can cause a surge in pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria and mold.
US National Library of Medicine
10) Keyboards and Computers
This shouldn’t come as too much of surprise to anybody. The keyboards we use every day are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Obviously, we touch them with our hands all day and the little crevices between the keys are hard to clean and disinfect. But this isn’t one part of the disinfection you want to overlook.
Evaluation of Microorganisms Isolated From Keyboard Surfaces (US National Library of Medicine)
Percentage (N = 25) Before and After Disinfection and Reduction of Contamination
| Microorganism | Before Disinfection | After Disinfection | Reduction of the Contamination |
|---|---|---|---|
Staphylococcus aureus | 1 (4%) | 0 (0%) | 100% |
CoNS | 20 (80%) | 8 (32%) | 60% |
Bacillus spp. | 22 (88%) | 15 (60%) | 31.80% |
Micrococcus spp. | 5 (20%) | 2 (8%) | 60% |
Streptococcus spp. | 3 (12%) | 0 (0%) | 100% |
Enteric bacteria | 16 (64%) | 8 (32%) | 50% |
Yeasts | 2 (8%) | 0 (0%) | 100% |
Moulds | 3 (12%) | 0 (0%) | 100% |
11) Floors & Carpets
Again, no real surprise here but the floors and carpets house all types of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. A typical carpet contains roughly 200,000 bacteria per square inch on average, making it technically 4,000 times more germs than a toilet seat. Sure, most floors are washed once a day but it might not be enough. This includes:
- Food, beverages, moisture
- Dirt, dust, pollen, smoke
- Hair, skin cells, nastier human stuff
- Whatever your kids dragged in
- The presents your pet leaves for you
Pets, as well as children who spend more time on the floor and touch their hands to their mouths, are more at risk of being affected by toxic particles in your carpet (American Lung Association).
12) Transit
A. Automotive: Interior disinfection can be integrated into key areas and products for car interiors:
- Steering wheel
- Gearstick
- Hand break
- External door handles
- Internal switches and levers
- Dashboard + fascia
- Internal mirror
- Sun visors
- Glove compartment
- Seats
- Seatbelts
- Mats, carpets
B. Aviation: Interior disinfection can be integrated into key areas and products for airport and aircraft interiors:
- Airport security check point trays
- Fold-down table trays
- Window shades
- Seating, textiles/leather
- Armrests
- Galley trays and storage units
- Overhead compartment components
- Flooring
- Rest room areas
You might be carrying something off the plane – other than your carry-on!
Disease-causing bacteria can linger on surfaces in commercial airplane cabins for up to one week (Auburn University). On a plane, MRSA Bacteria survived the longest, 168 hours, on material from the seat-back pocket, while E. coli bacteria lived for 96 hours on the material from the armrest (Federal Aviation Administration Centre, in partnership with Delta Airlines).
C. Public Transit: protection can be integrated into key areas and products for public transport carriages and vehicles:
- Grab bars & handles
- Seating textiles
- Controls & switches
- Interior panels
- Flooring
- Faire box
- Windows
- Tables
Microorganisms always have free ride tickets on public transportation.
This phenomenon causes the microbial load in public transportation vehicles to escalate to a contagious value. Vehicles can be an important source of contamination for many community-based infections (Faculty of Pharmacy, Istanbul University).
D. Marine: Treatable Interior disinfection can be integrated into key areas and products on cruise liners:
- Grab bars & handles
- Seating textiles
- Controls & switches
- Interior panels
- Flooring
- On-board kitchen areas and equipment
13) Gyms
Most fitness facility surfaces and equipment are non-porous (not allowing liquid or air to pass through) and can be sanitized or disinfected (West et al., 2018). Non-porous surfaces include glass, metals, plastics, glazed tiles, and marble.
Disinfection is preferred for fitness facilities. This can be done by using some type of cleaning agent recommended by the CDC and the EPA (Larson et al., 2007).
- Fitness facilities and Fit Pros should have a daily plan for disinfecting surfaces and equipment.
- Disinfection is preferred versus sanitization for fitness facility surfaces and equipment.
