This photo of bacteria on an 8-year-old's hand is every germaphobe's nightmare

Here's a fact that will make any germaphobe reach for the Purell: The average person carries around enough bacteria to fill a large soup can. That's three to five pounds of microbes.

Given that information, it shouldn't be surprising that that when Tasha Sturm took a sample of the bacteria on her 8-year-old son's hands, she found that he was carrying quite a lot of organisms:

Sturm let the various bacteria, fungi, and yeasts in the sample grow for several days to create the beautifully gross photo above. As Colossal notes, most of the specimens in the photo are likely harmless, or even beneficial to a person's immunity. But I'd be lying if I said that it didn't make me want to disinfect everything in sight.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up