Stowaways: Germs survive on the plane for days

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MunichThe world is getting closer and closer - that is an advantage for germs. Thanks to being transported by plane, they get around a lot more. Not only the travelers themselves can be contagious. The bacteria also survive for days on the airplane seats.

"Many air travelers are afraid of catching illnesses from other passengers, precisely because they spend so much time in such a small space," explains Kiril Vaglenov from Auburn University. How justified is this concern? Because in order to infect other people, the pathogenic bacteria first have to survive the adverse conditions in the aircraft. The researchers selected two germs for a test: Firstly, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which keeps making headlines because it is one of the multi-resistant bacteria and cannot do much against antibiotics. On the other hand, the EHEC pathogen Escherichia coli, which causes diarrhea and vomiting through fecal-oral transmission.

The scientists took six typical surfaces from aircraft, for example a plastic tray, the flush button of the toilet or the cover material for the aircraft seats. The materials were carefully contaminated with the bacteria, either in a saline solution, artificial sweat or artificial spit. The researchers exposed the samples treated in this way to the room conditions prevailing in the aircraft - i.e. lower air humidity or changes in air pressure and temperature.

Bacteria cavort on the armrest

Indeed, although the environment in the plane is far from ideal for the pathogens, they survived for a long time. MRSA was especially good on the pockets on the back of the seat, where they could still be found for up to 168 hours - that is, a week - after the contamination. E. coli, in turn, was still detectable on the armrests for 96 hours (4 days) and was potentially contagious. This was shown to be completely independent of the liquid with which the germs had been applied.

“Our study proves that both types of bacteria can survive on selected surfaces for several days in an airplane,” says Vaglenov. The researchers now want to use their results as a basis for testing how an aircraft can be cleaned and disinfected most effectively. In addition, thought is being given to how antibacterial materials could be incorporated into aircraft interiors. In the future, other pathogens will also be tested for their survival in the aircraft, for example the tuberculosis pathogen. (lh)

Source: American Society for Microbiology press release: Bacteria Can Linger on Airplane Surfaces for Days (May 20, 2014)

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