Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) affect more than 13 million Americans every year, MedlinePlus reported in 2007. The fact that there has never been a documented case of an STD being transmitted by a toilet seat does little to dispel the discomfort that most people feel about using a public restroom. The possibility of contracting a disease from a toilet seat is theoretically possible, but extremely unlikely.
Bacterial STDs
Some STDs caused by bacteria include syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. According to the "Journal of Forensic Legal Medicine," epidemics of gonorrhea have been documented in children's institutions, spread by towels, rectal thermometers and communal baths. Transmission by nonsexual means is possible. However, a study of 72 public restrooms published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" found no gonorrhea on any public toilet seat. The authors concluded that the toilet seat was not an important risk for gonorrhea transmission. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), syphilis cannot be transmitted by a toilet seat at all.
Viral STDs
Viral STDs are much more dangerous than bactieral STDs. Viruses cause HIV/AIDS, herpes and genital warts (HPV). According to the CDC, the HIV virus has never been transmitted due to contact with an environmental surface. The virus does not proliferate outside of a human host. If blood or semen was present on a toilet seat, and the next user had a cut on the skin that touched the liquid, there would be a risk of transmission. However, that risk would still be small. The CDC concludes that the risk of transmission of HIV virus from a toilet seat is essentially zero.
Crab Lice
Crab lice, also called pubic lice, live on the coarse hairs of the pubic region. They are very small, only about 1.5 mm in length. These lice can live for a day or two after they fall off a human host. Even so, lice that fall off their host are usually dying and would be unlikely to attach to a new host. The lice cannot jump or fly; they can only crawl. Occasionally, these lice can be spread by towels or bedding. The risk of contracting lice from a toilet seat is very remote, but possible.
Other Infections
The "Journal of Hospital Infection" reported that in the Vancouver Hospital and Health Science Center, a woman became colonized by a resistant super bug called Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) after a toilet in the adjoining room overflowed and contaminated the hospital surfaces. Clearly, this was a very unusual event. It is important to be concerned about the toilet handle and the bathroom doorknob, since they can transmit flu virus and E. coli bacteria to your hands.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: STDs
- MedlinePlus: STDs
- New England Journal of Medicine; The Gonococcus and the Toilet Seat; J.H.Gilbaugh and P.C. Fuchs; 1979
