Shoes off in the house?!

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Mother was right!. Our shoes are filthy, and we'd be smart to leave them at the door, like they do in Japan!. Even microbiologist Charles P!. Gerba was surprised to discover what we track into the house on our footwear!. "I'm starting to make myself paranoid," he said!. "It seems like we step in a lot more poop than I thought!."

Gerba is a professor in the University of Arizona's Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science!. He's spent years studying how humans spread microbes around and "share" them wherever they go!.

Gerba swabbed for bacteria on 26 shoes worn by test subjects for three months or more!. He cultured the samples and identified nine microbial species that can cause intestinal, urinary, eye, lung, blood and wound infections!.

We pick up intestinal bacteria walking where dogs, birds and other critters have relieved themselves!. Then we bring it all home!.

The bacteria on our shoes "are surviving for long periods of time," Gerba said!. "We're tracking them around for quite some distance!."

In the open air, viruses that cause diarrhea can survive several days to weeks!. Bacteria can survive one to three days, but they do better with food around - and we provide that, too!.

As the crud builds up on our shoes, Gerba said, we add food and other debris that bacteria can feed on, and "our shoes become a bacteria cafeteria!."
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