Women's and Men's Hands Differ in Bacteria Count
11/10/2008
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It has been recently discovered that the hands carry more types of bacteria than commonly thought possible. The surprising bit of news is that women carry more types on average than men.
The study was published by lead author Noah Fierer from the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). A similar study has been conducted in the U.K.
Using a DNA analysis technique, researchers were able to determine the different colonies of bacteria found on human hands, and how they differed from men to women. One hypothesis behind why women carry more varieties of bacteria may be due to a difference of skin acidity. Men tend to have a lower pH (higher acidity) than women, making their hands a more inhospitable place for some bacteria varieties.
Interestingly, the variety of bacteria species on hands does not diminish with hand washing. Most of these types were not found to be harmful to humans, or non-pathogenic. However, the researchers do stress the importance of regular hand washing.
The study was published by lead author Noah Fierer from the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). A similar study has been conducted in the U.K.
Using a DNA analysis technique, researchers were able to determine the different colonies of bacteria found on human hands, and how they differed from men to women. One hypothesis behind why women carry more varieties of bacteria may be due to a difference of skin acidity. Men tend to have a lower pH (higher acidity) than women, making their hands a more inhospitable place for some bacteria varieties.
Interestingly, the variety of bacteria species on hands does not diminish with hand washing. Most of these types were not found to be harmful to humans, or non-pathogenic. However, the researchers do stress the importance of regular hand washing.