How many trillion bacteria in your Landy?

DiscoMick · 1st November 2012, 08:18 PM

I reckon George is absolutely infested with bacteria, and several spiders, but they hide when I get in...
How about your Landy?

Your car is a germ breeding ground

By Karla Pincott
Carsguide
29 October 2012

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The research is part of a program to develop new car interior materials and coatings.

Research shows which cabin areas in every car are teeming with trillions of bacteria.
You can’t see them, but microscopic bacteria are breeding in your car interior. The University of Michigan has teamed with Ford for a project to uncover the areas in a car that are germ hotspots.

Using vehicles in the Ford company carpark, the researchers took samples from the main 10 points we have contact with in our cars and measured the bacteria in the swabs. The main offenders turned out to be the steering wheel – which Carsguide has previously reported is covered with germs – and the cupholders.
“We weren’t surprised to find microbial hot spots on the steering wheel, since that is where a driver’s hands are most of the time,” Ford technical expert Cindy Peters said in a statement. “The console area near the cupholders is a common location for spilled drinks, so it provides an ideal feeding ground for microbes.”
The research is part of a program to develop new car interior materials and coatings that will help retard bacterial growth. “Our findings suggest car interiors are complex ecosystems that house trillions of diverse microorganisms interacting with each other, with humans, and with their environment,” said microbial ecologist Dr. Blaise Boles, who led the University of Michigan research team.
“The long-term goal is to define the microbial ecology of the car interior and to optimize the design of car interiors to promote comfort and environmental sustainability.” The most promising path could be using a coating containing silver-ion – which sterilises and kills microbes -- with the research showing parts painted with the compound contained lower bacterial growth.

**Nick S** · 2nd November 2012, 10:35 AM

What a pile of rubbish, of course a car will be teeming with bacteria, the world is teeming with bacteria, infact we are about 5-10% bacterial DNA by weight. Most bacteria are beneficial to us eg gut bacteria help us to absorb nutrients etc. I like the comment about wanting to ecologically sustainable and then suggesting the use of Silver ion (heavy metal) coatings. Great idea then we can have cars infested with resistant bugs instead of the garden variety ones.

Simple answer is try to keep the car clean(ish), wash your hands if you are worried and avoid licking the steering wheel

**isuzurover** · 2nd November 2012, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by Nick S

What a pile of rubbish, of course a car will be teeming with bacteria, the world is teeming with bacteria, infact we are about 5-10% bacterial DNA by weight. Most bacteria are beneficial to us eg gut bacteria help us to absorb nutrients etc. I like the comment about wanting to ecologically sustainable and then suggesting the use of Silver ion (heavy metal) coatings. Great idea then we can have cars infested with resistant bugs instead of the garden variety ones.

Simple answer is try to keep the car clean(ish), wash your hands if you are worried and avoid licking the steering wheel

x2 well said!

**tangus89** · 2nd November 2012, 12:36 PM

ever notice the kids that were never allowed to do anything "icky" and were always fussed over to be clean, are always the ones that are sick now. germs keep you healthy.

**isuzurover** · 2nd November 2012, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by tangus89

ever notice the kids that were never allowed to do anything "icky" and were always fussed over to be clean, are always the ones that are sick now. germs keep you healthy.

Nice one, but whay you describe is called the "hygiene hypothesis" and has recently been disproven/discredited.

It is however the case that kids who grow up in rural areas are significantly healthier than kids who grow up in cities. The reasons for this are still not fully known.

**tangus89** · 2nd November 2012, 12:55 PM

But surely it would have some effect, being exposed to things is essentially what happens when you get immunised against things, get a minor dose so your body builds antibodies against it. just one is injected.

**KarlB** · 2nd November 2012, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by Nick S

What a pile of rubbish, of course a car will be teeming with bacteria, the world is teeming with bacteria, infact we are about 5-10% bacterial DNA by weight. Most bacteria are beneficial to us eg gut bacteria help us to absorb nutrients etc. I like the comment about wanting to ecologically sustainable and then suggesting the use of Silver ion (heavy metal) coatings. Great idea then we can have cars infested with resistant bugs instead of the garden variety ones.

Simple answer is try to keep the car clean(ish), wash your hands if you are worried and avoid licking the steering wheel

Don't know about you Nick but most people are about 0.1% DNA by mass.

Cheers
KarlB

**isuzurover** · 2nd November 2012, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by KarlB

Don't know about you Nick but most people are about 0.1% DNA by mass.

Cheers
KarlB

Humans may be 0.1% DNA, but for every 1 human cell there are 9 bacterial/microbial cells in or on our body...

**Nick S** · 2nd November 2012, 01:36 PM

Mmmm not well expressed I know but sometimes I feel like a walking incubator!!

**Lotz-A-Landies** · 2nd November 2012, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by Nick S

Mmmm not well expressed I know but sometimes I feel like a walking incubator!!

And many of the microbes you are incubating are important to your health.

It is the reason that when we are on a course of antibiotics and kill off all bacteria we often get a super-infection of fungal infections like thrush.

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