How filthy is YOUR phone? Pictures reveal the stomach-churning 'invisible life' lurking on the average handset

  • Students imprinted phones in Petri dishes with 'bacterial growth medium’
  • After three days, they studied the bacteria that had grown in the dishes
  • Students found levels of disease-carrying bacteria Staphylococcus aureus
  • This is a cause of Staph infections including food poisoning and impetigo 
  • Others contained bacterium called Bacillus mycoides typically found in soil

If you’re rarely without your smartphone, then chances are that it’s teeming with bacteria - as seen in this collection of alarming photos.

In many cases, this bacteria is relatively harmless and comes from touching unclean surfaces or not washing your hands properly.

But in others, the bacteria found can lead to infections such as food poisoning, impetigo and even septicaemia.

Scroll down for video 

Students from the University of Surrey imprinted their phones into Petri dishes (pictured) containing so-called ‘bacterial growth medium’
After three days, the students studied the bacteria that had grown in the dishes

Students from the University of Surrey imprinted their phones into Petri dishes (pictured) containing so-called ‘bacterial growth medium’. After three days, they studied the bacteria that had grown in the dishes

To study the level of dirt on a person’s phone, students studying bacteriology at the University of Surrey imprinted their mobile phones on to so-called ‘bacterial growth medium’ in Petri dishes.

After three days, they studied the bacteria that had grown in the dishes - and were shocked by what they discovered.

BACTERIA FOUND ON THE PHONES 

Staphylococcus aureus: It is thought that 20% of people are long-term carriers of the bug, which often lurks inside nasal passages.

Many healthy people carry it on their skin and in their noses without getting sick.

But when skin is punctured or broken, staph bacteria can enter the wound and cause infections. 

It is a common cause of Staph infections including food poisoning, impetigo and even septicaemia.

Bacillus mycoides: This bacteria is typically found in soil, which suggests the phone or its user had been in contact with soil recently.

Bacillus mycoides are found in common pesticides and are used to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi.  

On a number of occasions, the disease-carrying bacteria Staphylococcus aureus was discovered.

It is thought that 20 per cent of people are long-term carriers of the bug, which often lurks inside the nasal passages.

Many healthy people carry these bacteria on their skin and in their noses without getting sick.

But when skin is punctured or broken, staph bacteria can enter the wound and cause infections.

It is a common cause of Staph infections including food poisoning, impetigo and even septicaemia.

And Staph bacteria can easily spread through contaminated surfaces and from person to person.

Another bacteria spotted was Bacillus mycoides.

This bacteria is typically found in soil, which suggests the phone or its user had been in contact with soil recently.

Bacillus mycoides are found in common pesticides and are used to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi.  

In many cases, the bacteria discovered was relatively harmless, but on a number of occasions, the disease-carrying bacteria Staphylococcus aureus was discovered. It is thought that 20 per cent of people are long-term carriers of the bug, which often lurks inside the nasal passages

In many cases, the bacteria discovered was relatively harmless, but on a number of occasions, the disease-carrying bacteria Staphylococcus aureus was discovered. It is thought that 20 per cent of people are long-term carriers of the bug, which often lurks inside the nasal passages

Many healthy people carry Staphylococcus aureus on their skin and in their noses without getting sick.But when skin is punctured or broken, staph bacteria can enter the wound and cause infections. It is a common cause of Staph infections including food poisoning, impetigo and even septicaemia

Many healthy people carry Staphylococcus aureus on their skin and in their noses without getting sick.But when skin is punctured or broken, staph bacteria can enter the wound and cause infections. It is a common cause of Staph infections including food poisoning, impetigo and even septicaemia

The experiment forms part of the course work for Dr Simon Park’s Practical and Biomedical Bacteriology course.

Each year, Dr Park asks his students to imprint their phones, and this collection of images are from the most recent experiment.

YOUR PHONE COULD CONTAIN MORE BACTERIA THAN A TOILET 

The average handset carries 18 times more potentially harmful germs than a flush handle in a men's toilet, recent tests revealed.

An analysis of handsets found almost a quarter were so dirty that they had up to ten times an acceptable level of bacteria.

One of the phones in the test had such high levels of bacteria it could have given its owner a serious stomach upset. 

The findings from a sample of 30 phones by Which? magazine suggest 14.7million of the 63million mobiles in use in the UK today could be potential health hazards. 

Dr Park said: 'It seems that the mobile phone doesn’t just remember telephone numbers, but also harbours a history of our personal and physical contacts such as other people, soil and other matter'

'As part of [the course] I get the students to imprint their mobile phones on to bacteriological growth Petri dishes so that we might determine what they might carry.

'It's unusual, but a very effective way of engaging our students with the often overlooked microbiology of everyday life.

'The ecological niche on the body for Staphylococcus aureus is the nostrils, so a furtive pick of the nose, and quick text after, and you end up with this pathogen on your smartphone. 

The average handset carries 18 times more potentially harmful germs than a flush handle in a men's toilet, recent tests revealed.

An analysis of handsets found almost a quarter were so dirty that they had up to ten times an acceptable level of bacteria.

One of the phones in the test had such high levels of bacteria it could have given its owner a serious stomach upset. 

The findings from a sample of 30 phones by Which? magazine suggest 14.7million of the 63million mobiles in use in the UK today could be potential health hazards. 

Another bacteria spotted was Bacillus mycoides. This bacteria is typically found in soil, which suggests the phone or its user had been in contact with soil recently. Bacillus mycoides are found in common pesticides and are used to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi

Another bacteria spotted was Bacillus mycoides. This bacteria is typically found in soil, which suggests the phone or its user had been in contact with soil recently. Bacillus mycoides are found in common pesticides and are used to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi

The experiment forms part of the course work for Dr Simon Park’s Practical and Biomedical Bacteriology course at the university. Each year, Dr Park asks his students to imprint their phones and this collection of images are from the most recent experiment

The experiment forms part of the course work for Dr Simon Park’s Practical and Biomedical Bacteriology course at the university. Each year, Dr Park asks his students to imprint their phones and this collection of images are from the most recent experiment

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.