Think Twice About Adding a Lemon Slice to Your Alcoholic Drink

Popping a lemon slice in our drinks is pretty normal and seems harmless, right?

Apparently not. 

New research has revealed that it may be more harmful than we realise. 

Infectious disease specialist Alan Taege, MD. stated: “Unfortunately, several studies have found a significant number of bacteria on those slices that can cause illness and disease, and most of them are typical of what you may find when people handling them don’t wash their hands well.”

A 2007 study published in the Journal of Environmental Health had researchers swab lemon slices at 21 different restaurants. 70 per cent of the samples showed some sort of microbial growth, including 25 different species.

“The microbes found on the lemon samples in our investigation all have the potential to cause infectious diseases at various body sites, although the likelihood was not determined in this study. Restaurant patrons should be aware that lemon slices added to beverages may include potentially pathogenic microbes,” the researchers concluded.

And this is the really gross part... According to Philip Tierno, PhD, a clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at New York University School of Medicine and author of The Secret Life of Germs, contamination from skin, respiratory secretions and even fecal matter can be found on the fruit’s skin.

Frequently found bacteria include E.coli, staph, enterococcus and norovirus.

Tierno reminds us that "People are touching the lemon in your glass, handling it, cutting it, placing it in a container or a cup, or a glass; and then picking up those slices at a later point in time and dropping them into a drink and putting them on the rim of a glass. You can easily see how those lemon slices and lemon wedges can be contaminated." 

Make sure you're watching how your drinks are made, so you don't fall victim to the bacteria that may be present.

Source.