The salmonella bugs lurking in your handbag

It’S enough to make most women think twice before rummaging in their bag.

Researchers have found that handbags as little as six months old could be carrying not only your purse and mobile phone, but the salmonella bug.

A study by microbiologists into the germs found in handbags and make-up bags found women could be at risk of food poisoning.

the bags also contained stomach bug e.coli and cronobacter, which can cause urinary tract infections.

the evidence has led to calls for handbags to be banned from hospital wards for patient safety.

Researchers found more than a third of women have never cleaned out their handbag, with scientists at London Metropolitan University swabbing the bags of four beauty bloggers to look for bugs.

Dr paul Matewele, senior lecturer in biomedical sciences, said: ‘I was really surprised at the high level of bacteria found

‘Horrified and mortified’

on the bags – and that some of them are extremely virulent pathogens.

‘healthy adult women are leaving themselves at risk of getting food poisoning, and there is a threat to young babies, the elderly and immunecompromised hospital patients from these bags.’

he added: ‘It is certainly worth hospitals considering not allowing bags to be taken on to the wards.’

Most of the bags examined tested positive for superbugs which are resistant to antibiotics and hazardous to hospital patients and those with weakened immune systems.

Salmonella and e.coli can be deadly for very young children or the vulnerable elderly. A survey commissioned alongside the study found a third of women never clean their bag, while more than half admitted to keeping them more than a year.

the bloggers who agreed to have their bags tested were Laura Murray, 33, nicola McCullough, 40, Ashleigh Dougherty, 23, and 28-year-old Sophie Cottrell. Beauty blogger Mrs Murray, who runs lelore.com and lives in Faversham, Kent, submitted a six-month- old blue linen bag which tested positive for salmonella on the outside and e.coli inside.

She said: ‘I’m pretty shocked. I thought I was doing enough by washing my makeup brushes regularly, but it’s amazing how much bacteria is around.’

Scientists also found evidence of enterococcus faecalis, a bacteria which causes wound and urinary tract infections and can kill newborn babies. Belfast blogger Miss McCullough, who runs strawberryblondebeauty.com, had cronobacter on the outside of her bag and bugs including e. coli inside, the study commissioned by online beauty retailer escentual.com found.

She said: ‘I’m horrified and mortified in equal measure, especially as the bag looks so clean.’