• Question: how long do bacteria live on surfaces? :)

    Asked by rabiasami to Emma, Jimmy, Janet, Niall, Simon on 18 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: James Holloway

      James Holloway answered on 18 Mar 2013:

      Depends on the germ. Some can live for hundreds of years, others die very quickly. Bacteria tends to live longer on surfaces than virus’s which rely on invading cells to reproduce.

    • Photo: Niall Crawford

      Niall Crawford answered on 18 Mar 2013:

      If the bacteria are protected, by water for example, they can live for days, weeks and even a month

    • Photo: Simon Park

      Simon Park answered on 18 Mar 2013:

      This very much depends on the type of bacterium and the surface. We did an experiment where we showed that mobile phone touch screens were covered in bacteria. Mostly, harmless types!

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