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in collaboration with
Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Medical validation:
March 06, 2023
According to researchers, sports equipment is full of germs. So much so that they contain more bacteria than toilet bowls.
If many public places are home to a whole bunch of germs, sports facilities do not seem to be spared either. This is at least what emerges from a new study, published on the FitRated site.
Pneumonia, urinary infections and listeriosis
To reach these conclusions, the scientists inspected twenty-seven objects present in three sports halls.
Each time, the same equipment was analyzed: treadmills, exercise bikes and dumbbells.
The researchers then classified by objects by “bacteria levels”, based either on the CFU, an indicator allowing to count the quantity of microorganisms, or on the number of viable bacterial cells.
This is how they realized that each object contained a million germs per square inch.
More precisely, gram-positive cocci were identified on the three types of equipment, but also gram-negative bacilli – responsible for numerous pathologies, ranging from pneumonia to urinary tract infections – and gram-positive bacteria – responsible for infections such as anthrax, diphtheria or listeriosis.
Another finding of the study: bicycles and dumbbells had Bacillus, causing potential infections of the ears, eyes and respiratory tract.
The most contaminated equipment was treadmills and dumbbells.
Finally, to put these results into perspective, the researchers compared the levels of bacteria detected on sports equipment with the number of germs typically found on everyday items.
And the least we can say is that the results are edifying: carpets contained 74 times more bacteria than a public toilet tap, bicycles 39 times more germs than a cafeteria tray and weight 362 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.
“Bacteria are part of life”
Faced with this unattractive observation, Dr. Kierzek wants to be reassuring.
“Certainly, if we take microbiological samples everywhere, we will find germs on door handles, in sports halls, at home… Except that a “contaminated” object is not necessarily dangerous for health. “Bacteria are part of life. And even if some are pathogenic, don’t panic: we have an immune system that plays its role of defending the body”says Dr. Kierzek.
The medical director of Doctissimo stresses that sports halls must nevertheless be disinfected daily. “Which is even more the case since the appearance of Covid-19“.
Athletes must also adopt certain healthy reflexes, for example, “washing your hands when you arrive and when you leave.” Individual towels should also be preferred.
To the most suspicious, Dr. Kierzek reminds “that a gym is not an operating room… and that’s okay !”