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Photos to show the colony of bacteria proliferating on a dirty hand

We owe this photo to Tasha Sturn, a Californian laboratory assistant who works at the Barillo College microbiology laboratory in Aptos. In order to show her son all the mysterious colony of bacteria proliferating on the hands, she asks him to put his "dirty" hand in a petri dish, used to collect germs and bacteria from the surface of the palm. /P>

The magazine "Sciences et Avenir" explains:"Tasha Sturn was thus able to recover what is probably a mixture of permanent flora and so-called transitory flora, composed of species from the external environment, even from the digestive tract".

The biologist could not identify and enumerate all the bacteria visible on the picture. Their presence is, however, nothing exceptional according to her:“There is nothing terrifying on this plate. Bacteria are everywhere. Our immune system is enough to protect us. There is a lot of hysteria about bacteria, they are even necessary. »

About 10 million bacteria nest in the hands. The latter constitute for them an excellent means of transport and propagation. Bacteria grow at an impressive speed; they can double every 20 minutes! Bacteria love moisture; so wet hands spread 1000 times more bacteria than dry hands. Bacteria are particularly resistant; they can live on a person's hands for several hours. By washing your hands every four hours, you avoid their proliferation.

According to the National Institute for Prevention and Health Education (INPES), 7 out of 10 French people do not wash their hands after public transport or after blowing their nose. In addition, 4 out of 10 people cook without washing their hands first. Remember that washing your hands is an essential step against the spread of viruses and infections.

Source:tophealth.com