Researchers blame the results on workers who eat at their desks, turning work stations into breeding grounds for harmful bugs and germs. And men are far more filthy than their female counterparts - with 40 per cent more bacteria lurking in male mice.Keyboards were the second most grubby item in the office, ahead of phones and chairs.Initial Washroom Hygiene, which carried out the tests, said computer mice also carried twice as many bugs as a toilet flush handle.
Researchers swabbed 158 items seized from 40 desks at three office locations and compared the results with data on toilet hygiene, including 28 loo seats, obtained from other buildings. Four-in-10 desks were home to at least one item with very high levels of bacteria and surface contamination which posed a risk to health.
Initial Technical manager Peter Barratt said: 'It is now common for office workers to spend their lunch hour eating at their desk - often surfing the web or continuing to type at the same time.
'This leaves crumbs and other food residue all over the work station, particularly on mice and keyboards, making them ideal places for bacteria and other microorganisms to survive and multiply.
'In addition because they are electrical devices these items aren’t cleaned as regularly or as thoroughly as other parts of the office, or even as the desks themselves.'
The mouse isn't the only everyday item found to be filthier than the average toilet seat - research has discovered more bacteria on kitchen work surfaces, steering wheels, restaurant high chairs, shopping trolleys and even lift buttons.
–Daily Mail, London
