10 Creepy Bugs That Could Be on Your Next Flight

Dust Mite
Holiday travel is stressful enough, but University of Michigan researchers recently found that passengers are likely to share the already overcrowded airline cabins with countless tiny organisms.

Guaranteed to be on your flight are hundreds of leggy dust mites, such as the American house dust mite. A paper concerning them and their high-flying ways is published in the latest issue of PLOS ONE.

"What people might not realize when they board a plane is that they can share the flight with a myriad of microscopic passengers -- including house dust mites -- that take advantage of humanity's technological progress for their own benefit," Pavel Klimov, a University of Michigan biologist, explained.

"House dust mites can easily travel on an airline passenger's clothes, skin, food and baggage," he added. "Like humans, they use air travel to visit new places, where they establish new populations, expand their ranges and interact with other organisms through various means."

When dust mites trigger health problems in people, they are usually only mild allergic reactions.

Ellen Foot Perkowski

E. Coli

Yet another recent study has found that E. coli can thrive in airplane cabins for days.

Auburn University researchers determined that the potentially deadly bacteria could survive for four days on the rubber armrests of seats. It can live for three days on plastic tray tables. It can even exist for two days on steel toilet handles.

The EPA has also found traces of E. coli in water on certain planes. Make sure your coffee or tea is hot!

Eric Erbe, Wikimedia Commons

Cold and Influenza Viruses

It's very hard to clean seat pockets, and that's exactly where people tend to stash their dirty tissues, gum wrappers, uneaten food, and other possibly germ-contaminated disposables.

Cold and influenza viruses may survive for up to two days on nonporous surfaces, such as those made of metal and plastic. They can also live for several hours on fabric and paper products (tissues, paper towels, etc.). Consider using a carry-on bag instead of the seat pocket for your own quick-retrieve small items.

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Superbug MRSA

The superbug methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, aka MRSA, is a deadly bacterium and yet another organism that could be traveling on the plane with you. Some people are carriers of MRSA, even though they may show few to no symptoms.

The Auburn University study found that MRSA could live in seat pockets for up to 168 hours. The bacteria also lasted for long periods on rubber arm rests, leather seats, plastic window shades, plastic tray tables and toilet handles.

NIAID

Cockroach

A few years ago, a North Carolina couple sued an airline, alleging that cockroaches crawled out of overhead carry-on bins and air vents. They took video and photographs of the scurrying insects.

FDA inspections also discovered cockroaches in the kitchens of a large catering service with at least three major airlines as clients.

Cockroach waste material can trigger asthma attacks, and the insects can carry over 30 species of bacteria, including the aforementioned E. coli . To avoid such problems, The World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization stipulate two approaches for aircrafts when they do their "disinsection": either spraying the aircraft cabin with an aerosolized insecticide or treating interior surfaces with a residual insecticide.

Both methods can trigger their own allergic reactions in certain passengers, so there is no perfect solution to the problem.

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Listeria

The bad news is that airplane meals often are not very tasty. The even worse news is that FDA inspections have uncovered listeria in some food preparation areas. This microbe can cause gastrointestinal illness and even meningitis.

Airlines and their providers, however, undergo rigorous testing, so meals on planes are probably safer than those purchased elsewhere.

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Pseudomonas paucimobilis

Several years ago, investigators found Pseudomonas paucimobilis -- a bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections and meningitis -- on airline blankets. A follow-up report determined that airlines washed their blankets every 5 to 30 days, long after passengers had drooled and done who knows what else on them.

The situation has since changed for the better, with carriers usually offering pillows and blankets only if they are cleaned and sealed in plastic. Nevertheless, many experts still shun them. John Gobbels, vice president and COO of Medjet Assist, an air medical transport service, says he never uses the pillows and will only place blankets over his lower legs and not near his face.

Janice Haney Carr, CDC Public Health Image Library

Aspergillus niger

A potentially deadly fungus that has been found on airplane pillowcases is Aspergillus niger . People infected with this fungus can suffer from pneumonia and gastrointestinal bleeding.

Regular travelers come prepared with their own blankets and pillows. Just remember to wash them well after the flight.

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Bed Bugs

Jumbo jets have been grounded due to bed bug infestations. The small insects are usually known for lurking in mattresses, bed linens and clothing. People can bring them on to planes via their luggage and attire.

While reports of bed bugs on planes are rare, it's advisable to vacuum out your luggage after you return from your trip, and before trips too as a courtesy to other passengers.

CDC Public Health Image Library

Fecal Bacteria

The mighty suction toilets on airplanes can transport fecal bacteria and other germs. Since the toilets use less water than regular toilets found in most homes, however, they actually release less waste.

One bizarre upside to all of this cross-country organism travel is that it's enabling researchers to study what happens to a mite, bug, fungus, bacteria and so on when they travel to a new place and establish a population there. Klimov, for example, said, "Every time a mite successfully migrates to a new place, it brings its own genetic signature that can be detected in the resident population a long time after the migration event."

No flight will ever be mite or germ free so long as people are on board, since we are the ones harboring the creatures. Basic health maintenance and cleanliness can go a long way in preventing problems, such as staying hydrated and using antibacterial wipes.

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