E.coli and Shopping Carts

Researchers from the University of Arizona swabbed shopping cart handles in four states looking for bacterial contamination. Of the 85 carts examined, 72 percent turned out to have a marker for fecal bacteria.

The researchers took a closer look at the samples from 36 carts and discovered Escherichia coli, more commonly known as E.coli, on 50 percent of them — along with a host of other types of bacteria. The study’s results may explain earlier research that found that kids who rode in shopping carts were more likely than others to develop infections caused by bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter, said Charles Gerba, the lead researcher on the study and a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona. The best way to keep kids safe, Gerba said, is to swipe the shopping cart handle with a disinfecting wipe before you pop your kid into the basket.

Read more details about the research results by clicking here

Source: msnbc.com