Germ Warfare

They lurk everywhere, from your toilet bowl to your cereal bowl. But is total annihilation the answer?

by DONNA BARKER

Once, when I was eight years old, I was sitting on the toilet and eating my favourite cookies. I had one cookie in each hand and the rest of the box on the floor. And then my mom walked in. Although this happened 35 years ago, the memory of her disgust still triggers my anxiety.

I was reminded of this experience recently when watching television. In one hour I saw an ad selling antibacterial hand and body soap, another telling me I should use a product proven to eliminate 99.9 per cent of the bacteria in my home (all the way down to the U-bend of my toilet), and a third saying I should eat a special yogurt that has bacteria added to it.

After forcing the image of my head-shaking mother from my mind, I started wondering: do I need more bacteria in my life, or less? So I decided to call Louise Holmes, the infection control educator for Vancouver Coastal Health, for some answers.

Holmes says scientists estimate that we’re surrounded by three billion species of bacteria that live and colonize everywhere on Earth—and not just on our kitchen counters, bathroom floors, and city sidewalks.

“Colonies of bacteria live in our food, our digestive tracts, and all over our skin. In fact, every human body has 10 times more bacterial, viral, and fungal cells than human cells,” Holmes tells me.

Then she adds, “As I like to say, people are really just walking bags of bacteria.”

It’s a compelling image, but not one I wanted to sit too long thinking about, so I contacted Jolanta Gorwa, a registered holistic nutritionist and owner of Bella Vita Holistic Health and Nutrition. Gorwa is a passionate advocate for the 400 or so species of bacteria that make their homes in our digestive tracts—both the friendly and the so-called “bad” kinds.

“From the moment you pass through the birth canal, every breath you take and every time something touches your lips, microbes are entering your body and colonizing. It’s a constant balancing act,” she says.

Again, the image of my body as a bacterial breeding ground left me with a sick feeling. But Gorwa’s next words helped settle my stomach.

“Microflora, the bacterial colonies in our large intestines, are critical to our digestion and to maintaining a healthy immune system. When kept in balance, even when bad bacteria invade, the colonies of friendly bacteria protect us.”

With all of these microscopic communities competing for my valuable intestinal real estate, I wanted to know how to make sure the good guys ruled. I asked if the yogurt ads I’d been seeing on TV would really help me achieve better health.

“Foods that contain probiotic, or ‘friendly,’ bacteria, especially those fermented with live bacterial cultures—like yogurt, sourdough bread, cheeses, tempeh, and sauerkraut—are very good for us,” Gorwa explains. “Friendly bacteria flourish when they have prebiotic bacteria to feed on. Prebiotics are found in foods like garlic, asparagus, onions, and artichokes.”

All right, then! The bacteria in my guts should indeed be encouraged. But how about the bacteria breeding on my hands, on my kitchen counter, and in the U-bend of my toilet? Do I need to eliminate 99.9 per cent of them? According to Louise Holmes, most of these bacterial colonies are harmless.

“Only about 40 species of bacteria cause disease in humans. We are going to an extreme trying to kill all the bacteria in our homes and on our bodies. We do not need antibacterial hand soaps, laundry detergents, window cleaners, or even toilet-bowl cleaners. These chemicals kill willy-nilly. They aren’t specific to bad bacteria, and some of the bacteria in our world are actually necessary and helpful.”

Like many infection control experts, Holmes fears that by killing bacteria indiscriminately, we’re creating an environment in which helpful bacteria could mutate and become harmful, while harmful bacteria could become resistant to antibacterials. After all, our overuse and misuse of antibiotic drugs has bred a whole new set of antibiotic-resistant bugs.

Truth is, the best ways to keep bacteria in check are the simplest ways—and the most familiar.

“Wash your hands with plain soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and dry them with a towel, after you’ve been out and before you eat,” Holmes advises. “And wipe down your kitchen sink and counters, and your bathroom sink, taps, and doorknob with ordinary household cleaners—not antibacterial products.”

As for this walking bag of bacteria, I’m grateful to know that my weekly swish is adequate to keep my toilet bowl clean and that the sour cream and onion dip I enjoy has some nutritional value. And, if I ever happen upon one of my boys eating a frozen yogurt treat while doing his business in the loo, I’ll just let it pass.

Despite never, ever having sanitized her laptop keyboard, Donna Barker has not been sick with more than a common cold in years.