Think about it the next time you're sitting on the toilet, unable to get up and having constant diarrhea - the culprit could be your phone. In a 2012 study, microbiologists at the University of Arizona concluded that, on average, it appears that smartphones carry more bacteria than toilets. Some experts say we shouldn't be surprised by this. That's because, on the whole, there are inherently fewer bacteria on human thighs than on hands and in the mouth. However, even people with cleanliness fetishes tend to clean their toilets more often than their cell phones.
However, it's still hard to ignore the presence of coliforms. Coliforms have always been present in human animal feces and plant soil. Now, coliforms are unabashedly present on individuals' cell phones as well. While small amounts of these bacteria won't make you sick, their presence means that other pathogens are lurking on cell phones as well.
2. E. coli
Like most of the bacteria listed in this article, E. coli is one of those bacteria that we fear to avoid. However, the truth of the matter is that not all strains of E. coli are harmful, and some are even beneficial to the human digestive tract.
E. coli is normally found in the human gut, and the presence of this bacteria on a cell phone means that other contaminants are present. In addition, a strain of E. coli serotype O157:H7 may be present on cell phones. While their presence is very rare, it is this pathogen that causes the foodborne illnesses we hear about in movies and on local news broadcasts.
3. Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus aureus is another common bacterium, and its harmfulness varies depending on the strain. Some strains can cause serious skin conditions such as staph infections. For example, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus can cause painful skin boils, and it is through skin-to-skin contact that this bacteria is spread. Usually this bacteria spreads in places like hospitals and medical centers, and using a dirty cell phone definitely speeds up the process.
In their 2009 study, microbiologists in Turkey found that more than half of the healthcare workers (52 percent) out of the 200 people they tested had cell phones contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus. This compares to 38% of cell phones exposed to methicillin-resistant S. aureus.