Lidless toilets contaminate surrounding areas with clostridium difficile.

Medscape (12/30, Laidman) reports, "Put a lid on it. That is the conclusion of research examining the amount of Clostridium difficile that flies into the air and contaminates surrounding surfaces with the flush of a lidless toilet." The study, published in online Dec. 2 in the International Journal of Hospital Infection, "measured airborne suspension of the bacteria in addition to surface contamination by the bacteria after flushing of both lidless and lidded toilets" and found that "air samples 25 cm above the commode, which is about the height of the handle, contained C difficile, with the highest numbers coming from samples taken immediately after flushing." In addition, the "researchers also found the number of viable bacteria to be 12-fold higher from open toilets compared with the same toilet when the lid was closed."