Mobile phones are writhing bug factories that can harbour 18 times more bacteria than a flush handle in a men's toilet, a new study shows.
With iPhone 4 fever about to hit Melbourne, a researcher who swabbed 30 mobiles found at least seven had unacceptably high levels of bacteria.
The results point to potentially poor hygiene among millions of mobile phone users that could result in stomach upsets, or worse.
"The levels of potentially harmful bacteria on one mobile were off the scale," said UK hygiene expert Jim Francis.
"That phone needs sterilising."
The microscopic nasties ranged from enterobacteria, a group of bacteria that includes bugs such as salmonella, to food poisoning bugs e.coli and staphylococcus aureus.
Even if a phone owner is scrupulously clean, beating the bacteria may not be so simple.
Handing your phone to others so they can view holiday snaps or marvel at a cool new iPhone app is an invitation for bugs to get on board.
Researcher Ceri Stanaway said most phones in the study didn't have any bacteria that would make users sick straight away, but they were grubbier than they need be.
"The bugs can end up on your hands, which is a breeding ground and be passed back to your phone," she said.
"They can be transferred back and forth and eventually you could catch something nasty."
Researchers said the study showed how easy it was to come into contact with bacteria.
"People see toilet flushes as being something dirty to touch but they have less bacteria than phones," Ms Stanaway said.
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