Is the 5-second rule true? Can you catch the same cold twice? We explore some of the common microbial myths to discern fact from fiction.
We start with some ASM history while Michael Schmidt, Ph.D., tells us whether the 5-second rule is real, if plastic cutting boards are more sanitary than wood, if urine is sterile, whether or not you can get an STD from a toilet seat, if your toothbrush really has fecal bacteria on it, and if it’s true that hand dryers are unsanitary.
Next, we dive into the lightning round for short answers on some big questions (do bacterial cells outnumber human cells, you can get sick from cold weather, you can catch the same cold twice, frogs give you warts, you need to wash chickens before cooking...)
Finally, we put Schmidt on the spot with some questions from the live audience at ASM Microbe 2018 in Atlanta.
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Resources:
- Five-second rule.
- Urine is sterile.
- Hand-dryers are unsanitary.
- Toothbrushes near your toilet collect fecal bacteria.
- Washing raw chicken sanitizes it.
- You can get an STD from a toilet seat.