Keep your computer personal or risk disease: study
06 Jul 2009
Researchers have shown that multi-user computers are a hotbed for germs
If you share a computer with other users, don't be surprised if you fall sick. A study by Australian researchers has found that keyboards of multi-user computers in places like offices and cybercafés carry five times the number of disease-causing organisms as single-user computers.
Conducted by researchers from Swinburne University of Technology, the study examined the number and types of micro-organisms on computer keyboards in three large, multiple-user facilities on the university campus.
These were compared with staff computers that were generally handled by only one person. The study found almost five times the number of micro-organisms on the keyboards of multiple user computers as on single-user computers.
Almost half the multiple-user keyboards were found to be crawling with Staphylococcus aureus, also known as golden staph, compared with one-fifth of the single user keyboards, said a SUT release. The bacterium can cause anything from pimples to meningitis. In between could be boils, furuncles, abscesses, septicaemia, or pneumonia, among others.
"High use, multiple user Internet cafes and computer labs are potential hot spots for harbouring micro-organisms," said Enzo Palombo, lead author of the study. "Given that computers are not routinely disinfected, the potential for transmitting disease is great. Organisations need to be more rigorous in keeping shared equipment clean.''
The researchers are now planning a study to see if cleaning and disinfecting multi-user keyboards regularly reduces the number of micro-organisms they harbour. Meanwhile, their message is to wash hands frequently, especially before meals – or carry a hand disinfectant to your office.
