Furniture Found in Daycare May Be Carriers of Germs

Germs that cause common illnesses like colds, infections and strep throats can linger on daycare surfaces like cribs, toys and books for hours after contamination, a recent study confirms.

The researchers found out that even after items like cribs, books and toys have been cleaned, they may still carry germs that are harmful to the health of both children and adults. They suggested that additional steps may need to be taken to protect everyone from Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes, particular in common grounds such as schools, daycare centers and hospitals.

"These findings should make us more cautious about bacteria in the environment since they change our ideas about how these particular bacteria are spread," said senior study author Anders Hakansson of the University at Buffalo. "This is the first paper to directly investigate that these bacteria can survive well on various surfaces, including hands, and potentially spread between individuals," he added.

Last year, University at Buffalo researchers found that some bacteria may remain on surfaces for extended periods of time because they form 'biofilms' when infecting human tissue. These highly sophisticated biofilms are more resilient than other types of bacteria. Their findings, published in the journal Infection and Immunity confirmed that in the daycare center they examined, at least four or five stuffed toys were contaminated with S. pneumonia, bacteria that typically cause ear infections.

In the same way, the researchers said that they found several surfaces including cribs to have been contaminated with S. pyogenes, bacteria that typically causes strep throat and skin infections among school children. The researchers conducted their test very early in the morning while there were still no children in the area.