A form of antibiotic-resistant bacteria can live up to 7 days on the backs of airplane seats, according to tests conducted by Auburn University researchers,
Researchers took methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and placed it on several of the most-often touched surfaces in an airplane's cabin, including the pockets on the backs of the seats, The Washington Post reported. Researchers also used E. coli during the experiment, placing both bacteria in different solutions to see how long it survives.
Results showed that MRSA lasted the longest- 168 hours- on the cloth of the seat's back pocket where passengers often place personal items. While the bacteria were able to survive, researchers say passengers should be fine if they practice good hygiene.
"The take-home message is be careful about your hand hygiene and don't travel while contagious or immune compromised," Kiril Vaglenov, lead researcher and post-doctoral fellow in materials science at the university, told The Washington Post.
Vaglenov and his colleagues conducted the tests to provide data for the Federal Aviation Administration. Their findings are to be presented this week at the American Society for Microbiology. The researchers did not test to see if the bacteria lingered after the surface was cleaned.
The bacteria were mixed in three different solutions- one of saline and two artificial ones of sweat and saliva. Researchers subjected the MRSA to temperatures of 75 degrees Fahrenheit and kept the humidity at 18 percent.
The E.coli, which can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, was able to live for four days on the plane's armrests, three days on tray tables and two days on the button used to flush the toilet, the newspaper reported.
MRSA, which is resistant to most antibiotics, commonly causes skin infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also cause life-threatening infections in the bloodstream and pneumonia in patients who become infected in hospitals, according to the CDC.
MRSA breeds in places where people gather in large numbers, such as locker rooms and military barracks.
But as far as coming into contact with airplane bacteria is concerned, "I don't think it's more dangerous than being at the movie theater," Vaglenov told the newspaper.
