Beware of Pseudomonas aeruginosa lurking in vases of flowersYesterday was Mothers' Day and I hope that mothers everywhere felt acknowledged for the contribution they make to the lives of their children. My grandchildren brought me gifts of flowers - bedding plants and a bouquet of vivid pink Gerber daisies. Flowers are always a popular gift for mothers but I want to advise you that you are probably sharing your flowers with a nanobug called, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ps. aeruginosa is a water-loving bacterium that is found in tap water and soil and therefore, also on fresh cut flowers (and fresh vegetables). When you put flowers in a vase of water you can unintentionally begin growing a hearty culture of Ps. aeruginosa. After about 5 days, the flowers begin wilting and the water becomes cloudy and smelly. Be aware of the potential for contamination of your home environement with this water and take some simple steps to prevent exposure to Pseudomonas. Wash your hands after handling plants and flowers. Clean the sink and disinfect kitchen counters around the sink when you have cut and arranged flowers in the kitchen. (It is better to do this activitiy outdoors if possible). And always take the water in the vase outdoors to dump it rather than pouring in the kitchen or bathroom sink and risk contaminating those areas with Pseudomonas aeurginosa. This bacterium can cause blindness if you develop an eye infection with it. So a word of caution for contact lens wearers - always wash your hands before handling lenses, wetting solutions or touching the eye area. And do NOT put contact lenses in your mouth to wet them! Now go ahead and enjoy those beautiful flowers without the consequences of the nanobugs.
This entry was posted on May 11th, 2009 at 12:00 am. RSS
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