Microbiologist conducts stomach churning experiment in gym changing room – you’ll never shower barefoot again
A microbiologist’s sickening investigation into how much bacteria is lurking in gym changing rooms might make you think twice about showering barefoot after your next workout.
In a recent video, which has garnered nearly 14,000 views Nick Aicher, a Chicago-based senior quality control analyst, tested the amount of bacteria growth on the floor of a gym shower.
The clip posted to the 500,000 followers of his TikTok page, @howdirtyis begins with him unveiling a cotton but and swiping it back and forth over the floor.
He then rubs the cotton bud inside a petri dish labelled ‘public shower floor’ that before storing it in his special incubator.
After a certain time period, which Mr Aicher doesn’t specify, he revisits the container to see if anything has sprouted—and is confronted by a thick presence of bacterial growth.
On the experiment, he said: ‘So, that’s why you should wear some flip flops.’
In the comment section, one user wrote ‘yikes’ while another wrote ‘buying shower shoes now’.
Nick Aicher, a microbiologist, revealed the grim the amount of bacterial growth from the gym shower floor
The stomach-churning results showed what appears to be bacterial growth in the petri dish
But despite the stomach churning results, other followers said they were expecting it to be worse.
One user wrote ‘not as bad as I expected actually lol’, while another wrote ‘tbh, I thought this would be way worse’.
The recent video showing the experiment follows a warning from a scientist that gyms are a hot bed for germs and other harmful micro-organisms.
In an article for The Conversation, Dr Primrose Freestone a senior lecturer in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leicester, wrote: ‘By far, the most germ-rich areas in any gym are places that are warm and wet.’
This includes ‘saunas, showers, swimming pools or hot tubs’ because ‘anywhere there’s sweat, there are probably germs’.
She explained: ‘Sweat is a complex mixture of various substances – including vitamins, mineral salts, lactic acid, amino acids and lipids.
‘This means any sweat that drips off of you (or other gymgoers) can be used by bacteria and germs to help them grow.’
A scientist previously warned that gyms can harbor the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus
Worryingly she said the most common disease-causing bacteria in germ profiling studies is Staphylococcus aureus, ‘a bacteria which can trigger MRSA’.
MRSA is a type of bacteria which usually lives harmlessly on the skin, but if it gets inside the body, it can trigger a serious infection, says the NHS.
If it is under your skin, an area may appear painful and swollen, feel warm to touch, leak pus or liquid and look red, and this may be harder to see on brown or Black skin.
Meanwhile, it adds if it has spread to other parts of your body, you may experience a high temperature, difficulty breathing, chills, dizziness or confusion.
‘Stomach infections are also a risk, as pathogens such as Salmonella have been found on gym equipment,’ added Dr Freestone.
The bacteria, Salmonella can trigger symptoms of diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and a fever typically 12 and 72 hours after an infection.
In severe cases it can cause fatal dehydration or if the bacteria enters the blood stream, can lead to sepsis – a life-threatening reaction.
However, Jonathan Fletcher, a germs expert at the University of Bradford told the Daily Mail that in his opinion there’s a much higher risk of viruses than bacteria.
‘For example ones that can lead to a verruca or fungal infections, especially athlete’s foot,’ he said.
Verrucae, a type of wart on the foot, are small lumps on the skin that most people have at some point in their life, says the NHS.
It explains that it is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), but the strains of the virus that cause warts aren’t likely to cause cancer.
Meanwhile athlete’s foot is a type of fungal infection, also known as tinea pedis, which causes an itchy, red, scaly, dry, cracked or blistered rash.
