Blue Ridge Naturalist: Microbes and You

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© Marlene A. Condon
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Is it really necessary to wipe the handle of a shopping cart before using it? (Photo: Marlene A. Condon)

On October 30, NBC29 ran a segment about germs.

Microorganisms from swabbed surfaces in the community were grown at the Martha Jefferson Hospital microbiology lab and identified for the story.

It’s useful to know about the innumerable invisible-to-the-naked-eye life forms out there, some of which can make us ill (“germs”). But what has happened in society as a result of news stories like this one is that people have begun to obsess over these microscopic organisms.

Just because we now have the ability to “see” microorganisms does not mean we need to worry a great deal about them. For example, cleaning the handles of a shopping cart with a sanitary wipe before using it is overly cautious behavior.

Ironically, society’s overblown response to germs may actually be causing a huge increase in illness. People nowadays are trying to sanitize themselves and their surroundings by using germicidal cleaning agents on their hands and surfaces. These chemicals kill most of the microorganisms they come into contact with, which has serious consequences for individuals, society, and our environment.

Rob Dunn, associate professor in the Department of Biology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, has written a book called The Wild Life Of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are. He argues that many of the organisms we kill off with antibacterial soap are probably useful to us.

For example, Dr. Dunn refers to a study in which people with asthma or diabetes were more likely to get sick when they washed with antibiotic soaps than when they didn’t use any soap at all. The problem with antibiotic gels and soaps is that they kill the “good” microorganisms—those that don’t cause illness—along with the ones that do.

Water, on the other hand, simply rinses away most of the microbes you have recently acquired—which could include harmful organisms—but leaves intact the many, many innocuous bacteria that normally reside on your hands.  As Dr. Dunn puts it, these bacteria form “a kind of first line of defense.”

This concept is perfectly logical. Every organism plays a variety of roles in the environment.  Dr. Dunn provides us with a rational reason for why humans support such huge numbers of bacteria.

There’s growing evidence that children who are not exposed to the numerous forms of bacteria around them when they are young may not develop properly functioning immune systems. Parents who try to totally protect their children from “germs” are probably short-circuiting a natural process that has been in place for millennia.

Since man came into being, babies have crawled around, putting all kinds of “dirty” things into their mouths. It makes sense (in order for life to be perpetuated) that the human body is equipped with a defense system that can deal with the multitude of microbes a baby introduces to itself over the course of years.

Logic should tell us that our bodies possess a natural ability to cope—for the most part quite successfully—with the microorganisms that surround us.

To begin with, our skin functions as a very effective barrier to keep out microbes that could wreak havoc inside our bodies.  To work properly, however, it needs to be intact.

Therefore any minor injury that bleeds (a sign that your protective barrier has been breached) should be washed with soap and water to rinse away microbes and then covered with a bandage to keep them out. Please note, however, that it is extremely important to keep tetanus shots up to date.

Microorganisms can also get inside your body via your eyes, nose, and mouth. If someone coughs or sneezes near you, sending their germs through the air directly into these areas, there’s not much you can do about it. However, you can avoid introducing microorganisms to these primary pathways via your hands by keeping them away from your face unless they are clean.

In case you are doubting that simply washing with water and ordinary soap is an effective way to deal with microorganisms, consider this:  Washing is the way that all animals, even tiny insects, keep limited the number and kinds of microorganisms on their bodies.  It works.

The best offense against illness is proper living:

Eat a balanced diet and get enough sleep.

Maintain good overall hygiene and always wash hands just before preparing meals and eating, as soon as you get home from being out in the world, after using the bathroom, and whenever hands are obviously dirty. Keep dirty hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Always clean and then cover cuts and abrasions of the skin. Don’t scratch insect bites or poison ivy-type inflammations so much that you cause them to bleed.

If you must go out when you are sick, cover your nose or mouth when you sneeze or cough to avoid spreading germs to others.