Caution: You may be bringing home unexpected items from the supermarket.

A study involving the swabbing of 19 common items, which many people (especially shoppers) regularly touch with their bare hands on a daily basis (including: door handles, handrails, keyboards, screens and other surfaces), some of them had their share of harmful bacteria. But the worst of them were the supermarket's self-service checkout screens with one of the highest levels of harmful bacteria. This is a particular finding that may concern kiosk users.

The bacterial types, found in the study, included common types of bugs known to cause disease: Enterococcus, a bacteria (commonly found in feces); E. coli, which can cause bloody stools, diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps (found on almost every item that was tested in the study); Candid albicans, which could cause yeast infections (commonly found on escalator handrails); and Klebsiella, which could lead to UTI’s (commonly found on keyboards). Notably, some bacteria may cause only mild illnesses in adults but the effects may be worse for vulnerable segments of the population with undeveloped or weaker immunity such as children, the elderly and the immunocompromised.

What’s the best way to defend against these potentially dangerous bacteria?

Disposable gloves may safeguard against spreading bacteria to loved ones.

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