Women have three to four times the number of bacteria in, on and around their desks, phones, computers, keyboards, drawers and personal items as men do. Photo Gallery>>>

    Women have three to four times the number of bacteria in, on and around their desks, phones, computers, keyboards, drawers and personal items as men do, the study by University of Arizona professor Charles Gerba showed.

    Gerba, a professor of soil, water and environmental sciences, tested more than 100 offices on the UA campus and in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oregon and Washington, D.C. The 40,000 U.S. dollar study was commissioned by the Clorox Co.

    "I thought for sure men would be germier," Gerba said. "But women have more interactions with small children and keep food in their desks. The other problem is makeup."

    Women's desks typically looked cleaner, but the knickknacks are more abundant, and cosmetics and hand lotions make prime germ-transfer agents, Gerba said. Makeup cases also are excellent germ homes, along with phones, purses and desk drawers.

    Desk drawers containing food also are welcome mats for lots of microorganisms. Gerba found 75 percent of women had munchies in their desks.

    "I was really surprised how much food there was in a woman's desk," he said. "If there's ever a famine, that's the first place I'll look for food."

    That doesn't mean men don't carry germs, just not as many on their desk. The worst overall germ offender is mens' wallets, Gerba said.

    "It's in your back pocket where it's nice and warm, it's a great incubator for bacteria," Gerba said.

    Another hot spot for bacteria in men's offices: the personal digital assistant.

    "Men tend to play with their Palm Pilots more," Gerba said. "I think they're playing video games or something."

    The average office desktop has 400 times more bacteria than the average office toilet seat, Gerba said.

    Gerba said using a hand sanitizer and using a disinfectant on office surfaces helps, with 25 percent fewer bacteria found on surfaces that were regularly disinfected. Once-a-day use should be sufficient.

    "You don't have to go crazy with it, but with the key areas, desktops, phones and keyboards probably need to be disinfected once in a while," he said.

    (Agencies)