Internet Disgusted as Woman Reveals Bacteria Found on Plane Headrest

A video of swabs taken from some of the most germ-filled areas on a plane has gone viral on TikTok, with 1.4 million views.

The clip was posted by TikTok user @the_lab_life1, a Master of Science student based in Toronto, Canada, who preferred to be known only as CM. The poster told Newsweek that she's currently doing a research-based thesis "focusing on the breast milk microbiome and its correlation to the infant microbiomes."

The latest viral clip shows a person taking swabs of the headrest, the tray table and the notch that opens it, as well as the bathroom lock and handle. The samples were then incubated in a lab.

CM said that if she had to pick one place on a plane that may have a lot of bacteria on it, "I would say the windows." The TikToker explained: "I see many people laying on the window to get some not-so-restful shut-eye, so I am sure I would find some happy little bacteria hanging around on that glass."

Traveling on a plane can come with serious health risks. "Over a dozen cases of inflight transmission of serious infections have been documented, and air travel can serve as a conduit for the rapid spread of newly emerging infections and pandemics."

However, "the risks of transmission of respiratory viruses in an airplane cabin are unknown," said the March 2018 study in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The results of the research, which looked at 10 transcontinental U.S. flights, added that the "movements of passengers and crew may facilitate disease transmission." However, "there is low probability of direct transmission to passengers not seated in close proximity to an infectious passenger."

The latest viral clip was part of the poster's "What Will Grow?" series on TikTok, uncovering what bacteria are found in different spaces. A person was shown rubbing the swab samples onto three petri dishes (one for each area swabbed) that were incubated in a lab.

The bacteria were identified "based on morphology [a study of the shape and structure of living things], gram staining [a technique used to identify bacteria] and other chemical tests," according to a later comment by the original poster.

The video then showcased every petri dish, each of which had different patterns of small and large bubbles on it. The bacteria found were listed in messages overlaid across the clip, as outlined below.

Bacteria Found on Planes

Head rest

• M. luteus (Micrococcus luteus) - found in natural environments, such as soil and water resources, and on human skin and oropharynx mucosa (tissue in the oropharynx, which forms part of the pharynx, the tube that connects the main cavities of the head and neck).
• Streptococcus sp. - Streptococcus can cause different infections in the throat, skin and blood, such as strep throat and scarlet fever.
• N. subflava (Neisseria subflava) - found in the nasopharynx (the top of the throat connecting the nose to the respiratory system) and in the genitourinary tract (organs of the reproductive and urinary system).
• M. Smegmatis (Mycobacterium smegmatis) - found in human genital secretions and other animals, as well as soil, dust and water.

Tray table and notch

• B. Subtilis (Bacillus subtilis) - a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria commonly found in soil.

Bathroom lock and handle

• Staphylococcus sp. - found in mucous membranes and the skin of humans and other warm-blooded animals.
• Streptococcus sp.

Germophobes will be glad to know that the results of the swab tests were "much better than expected," according to a caption shared with the post. The bacteria found in these areas were "all pretty normal flora bacteria," it read.

In a later comment, the original poster wrote: "I'm a chronic disinfecter but this made me feel pretty good !!"

CM explained that germs are "not necessarily a bad thing" and almost everything has some sort of germ living on it, and it may be harmless to us.

She expected the tray would have lots of "common" bacteria, since we're constantly "touching it, eating over it and maybe even laying on it during a flight."

The graduate student thought there would be "much more" bacteria on the tray, beyond Bacillus subtilis, "so I am happily impressed," she said.

CM noted that humans have "normal microbiota," which refers to a diverse community of microorganisms that live within various parts of the human body.

"These little organisms such as bacteria are important in maintaining human health. So, it is normal when you swab something like skin, for skin-related bacteria to grow," she said. This is what was found on the handle on the bathroom door, a highly touched surface.

Several TikTokers were disgusted by the results, while some were also surprised. King wrote: "Be right back, need to go wash my hair .... Again."

User lovelyst4rs_ posted: "This is why I always wipe the tray table- the tv too." Dakota Burnside noted: "I figured the bathroom would be wayyyy worse!"

MellieDM commented: "Me deciding I want to know as you swab everything, although I already have contamination anxiety on airplanes."

Em wrote: "i will now be bringing wet wipes on my flight this summer."

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Update 06/19/23 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the original poster (TikTok user @the_lab_life1).