When I was a kid, my parents told me that everyday items are always filled with bacteria, such as banknotes, tabletops, keyboards, smartphones, floor (pick up your fallen food within 5 seconds or it will be infected with bacteria), I grew up told there are millions of bacteria under the fingernails all the time, is this really true? How can they be always there and survive that long if they are on the floor, banknotes etc.? They are living organisms, need to eat something, right? For my thinking there is nothing to eat on the banknotes normally. Can anyone bust this myth or confirm? Thanks in advance.
In: Biology
>How can they be always there and survive that long if they are on the floor, banknotes etc.? They are living organisms, need to eat something, right?
Many bacteria can produce spores that can chill out on a surface without any usable resources, waiting for conditions to improve. This is how they manage to survive on surfaces where you wouldn’t expect them.
However, the limiting factor is more water than food. There’s plenty of food for bacteria on a bank note in the form of random grease and grime and things. But there usually isn’t enough water for the bacteria to start growing.
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