Could a dirty purse make you sick?

London - More than 90 percent of purses have bacteria on them, and women are the worst offenders, according to a new study.

Researchers say purses pick up unsanitary bugs from bathrooms and kitchen tables and are rarely cleaned.

“Purses from both men and women are potential vectors for transmission of diseases,” say the researchers, writing in the journal Advanced Biomedical research.

“Bacteria growth was higher on the purses of women than on those of men.”

The researchers from the University of Mauritius carried out detailed tests on 145 purses from 80 women and 65 men. Results show that 95.2 percent of the purses had bacteria contamination.

Only 2.1 percent of women cleaned their purses once a month, and 81.5 percent never emptied them.

Leather purses were also found to have less bacteria than synthetic materials.

The researcher say the smooth surface of the leather could make it more difficult for the bacteria to cling on to.

Daily Mail