Dec 28, 2013 12:51 PM EST By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Everyday items that are deemed relatively safe for children, such as cribs, dishes and books are more likely, than previously thought, to cause strep throat and other dangerous infections, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the University of Buffalo found that Streptococcus pneumoniae, the common cause of ear and respiratory tract infection in children, and Streptococcus pyogenes, the bacterial culprit behind strep throat and skin infections linger far longer in inanimate objects than  previous lab tests suggests, the Los Angeles Times reported.

They found that commonly used item can harbor bacteria for months.

Anders Hakansson, senior author and assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Buffalo's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, said in a statement that scientific literature maintains that dangerous infections die quickly outside a human host and people can only become infected by breathing in infected droplets expelled through coughing or sneezing.

 "These findings should make us more cautious about bacteria in the environment since they change our ideas about how these particular bacteria are spread," Hakansson said. "This is the first paper to directly investigate that these bacteria can survive well on various surfaces, including hands, and potentially spread between individuals."

For the study, the researchers examined a day care center. They found that four out of five stuffed toys tested positive for S. pneumonaie and several surfaces, such as cribs, tested positive for S. pyogenes, even after being cleaned, according to a press release from the University of Buffalo.

The testing was done just prior to the center opening in the morning so it had been many hours since the last human contact.

Researchers found that commonly handled objects that are contaminated with these "biofilm bacteria" could act as reservoirs of bacteria for hours, weeks or months, spreading potential infections to individuals who come in contact with them..

Hakansson said that more research should be done to understand under what circumstances this type of contact leads to spread between individuals, but suggested that protocols for cleaning day care centers and home nurseries may need to change.

"If it turns out that this type of spread is substantial, then the same protocols that are now used for preventing the spread of other bacteria, such as intestinal bacteria and viruses, which do persist on surfaces, will need to be implemented especially for people working with children and in health-care settings," he added.

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