Men with beards harbour more germs and deadly bacteria in their whiskers than dogs carry in their fur, according to a research headed by Professor Andreas Gutzeit of Switzerland’s Hirslanden Clinic.
In the study, scientists have sought to verify whether there was a risk human might pick a dog-borne disease from an MRI scanner that was also used for examination by vets. Researchers took swaps from the beards of 18 men and the necks of 30 dogs, across a range of breeds, and compared the result.
“The researchers found a significantly higher bacteria loads in specimen taken from men’s beards compared with the dogs’ fur. The study found out that of the bearded men, aged from 18-76, showed high microbial counts, but only 23 out of 30 dogs had high counts. The other had moderate levels.
“Seven men were even found to harbour microbes that posed a threat to human health.
“After the MRI exams of the dogs, the scanners were disinfected and showed significantly lower bacteria count compared with levels seen when used by humans. On the basis of these findings, dogs can be considered as clean when compared with bearded men,” said Dr Gutzeit.
Some have debunked outcome of the result as hinged on irrational fear for beards, normally referred to as pogonophobia. Keith Flett, founder of the Beard Liberation Front which opposes discrimination against the hirsute, has debunked the outcome of the research.
“I think it’s possible to find all sorts of unpleasant things if you took swaps from people’s hairs and hands and then tested them. I don’t believe that beards in themselves are unhygienic.
“There seems to be a constant stream of negative stories about beards that suggest it’s more about pogonophobia than anything else,” Flett said.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
