Researchers at Clemson University launched a study of bacteria transferred from mouth to dip based on the Seinfeld "Double dip" chip scene. (via kottke)
On average, the students found that three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater’s mouth to the remaining dip.
Each cracker picked up between one and two grams of dip. That means that sporadic double dipping in a cup of dip would transfer at least 50 to 100 bacteria from one mouth to another with every bite.
Posted by alangage at January 30, 2008 12:25 PM
Comments
True, however...
The human mouth contains more bacteria than the earth contains people (upwards of 6 billion; source - Sigmund Socransky, associate clinical professor of periodontology at Harvard). The vast majority of this bacteria exists in harmless symbiosis associated with our digestive process.
This means with each bite, the "victim" of the doubledipper would consume no more than 0.00000167 percent (or 1/60,000,000th) of the "suspects" total oral bacteria with each bite. Furthermore, some of this bacteria dies immediately after leaving the warm, moist environment of the mouth.
Thus, the chance of transmitting any form of sickness from doubledipping chips is very unlikely.
Unless they have dysentery, which only needs between one and ten microbes to be infectious... then you're screwed.
Posted by: Woodsie at January 30, 2008 03:43 PM
i didn't post that comment... i haven't posted a relevent comment in my 8 years of commenting.
i would have posted something like "i guess that's how you catch dip-theria".
cough
Posted by: Woodsie at January 31, 2008 12:52 PM
Your brain is trying to escape...
Posted by: Andy at January 31, 2008 02:48 PM
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