Offices of men have higher bacteria levels

SAN DIEGO, May 31 (UPI) -- A study of offices in three U.S. cities found men's offices have significantly more bacteria than women's, researchers said.

Dr. Scott Kelley of University of California, San Diego, identified more than 500 bacterial genera in offices in New York, San Francisco and Tucson and found the most abundant tended to come from human skin or the nasal, oral, or intestinal cavities.

"Humans are spending an increasing amount of time indoors, yet we know little about the diversity of bacteria and viruses where we live, work and play," Kelley said in a statement. "This study provides detailed baseline information about the rich bacterial communities in typical office settings and insight into the sources of these organisms."

The study published in the journal PLoS ONE found office bacteria in New York and San Francisco officers were indistinguishable, but chairs and phones had a high abundance of bacteria, while the abundance on the desktop, keyboard, and mouse was somewhat lower.