How your plastic water bottle could be harbouring more germs than a DOG BOWL

• Tests found water bottles were harbouring dangerous germs like E.coli
• Some had more harmful bacteria than a dog bowl, toy or a toilet seat
• Slide-top types found to be the worst and those with a straw the best 

Most gym-goers make regular trips to the water cooler armed with a plastic bottle, happy they're doing their bit for the environment while keeping hydrated. But while quenching your thirst after pounding the treadmill is a vital part of any workout, it turns out you could actually unwittingly make yourself sick. New research has discovered these plastic water bottles can harbour more germs than a toilet seat.  In fact, slugging from the same refillable vessel was found to be 'many times worse than licking your dog's toy'.

Tests revealed thousands of moisture-loving bacteria crawling all over the spouts and caps.

Research by TreadmillReviews.net lab-tested 12 refillable water bottles that had been used by athletes over the course of a week.

In fact, the average person's water bottle was found to have over 300,000 colony forming units of bacteria. Perhaps most surprising, most of these germs were the most harmful types - known as gram negative rods - such as E.coli and salmonella. There were a host of bacteria linked to skin infections, pneumonia as well as blood poisoning.

SO WHICH FAIRED BEST AND WORST? 

Slide-top versions had the highest germ content, with more than 900,000 colony-forming units per square centimeter (CFU/sq) cm on average. They had the most gram-positive cocci, which have been linked to skin infections, pneumonia and blood poisoning. Squeeze-top bottles were next with 162,000 CFU/sq cm while screw-top containers had around 160,000 CFU/sq cm. Meanwhile, straw-top bottles were by far and above the winners with only 25 CFU/sq cm.

It is thought it could be because water drips to the bottom of the straw rather than sticking around to attract moisture-loving germs. Those found at the tops of straws were 'mostly harmless.' 'Based on our test results, we suggest opting for a straw-top bottle, both for the low prevalence of bacteria and the lack of harmful germs,' the fitness website said. While no tests were performed on re-using standard shop-bought mineral water bottles, the results suggest there would be a similar high level of germs. The Missouri-based website says stainless steel vessels are a better choice than plastic. It also recommends running bottles through the dishwasher or handwashing thoroughly after every use.  

Source - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3735889/How-plastic-water-bottle-harbouring-germs-DOG-BOWL.html