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LONDON: Some computer keyboards harbor more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat, research by a London based consumer group named Which? has suggested. According to the tests at their London office they found equipment carrying bugs that could cause food poisoning.

Dr Peter Wilson, a consultant microbiologist at University College London said:

A keyboard was often a reflection of what is in your nose and in your gut.

Out of 33 keyboards swabbed, four were regarded as a potential health hazard and one harbored five times more germs than one of the office’s toilet seats.

During these tests in January this year, one of the office’s keyboards was found to be so dirty that it was removed, quarantined and cleaned. It had 150 times the recommended limit for bacteria – five times as filthy as a lavatory seat tested at the same time, the research found.

According to Dr. Wilson:

If you look at what grows on computer keyboards, and hospitals are worse, believe it or not, it’s more or less a reflection of what’s in your nose and in your gut. Should somebody have a cold in your office, or even have gastroenteritis, you’re very likely to pick it up from a keyboard.

Which? said one of the causes of dirty keyboards was users eating lunch at their desk, with crumbs encouraging the growth of bacteria.

Research by the University of Arizona last year found the average office desktop harbored 400 times more bacteria than the average office toilet seat.