text: Children's soft toys act as a reservoir for bacteria and bring germs into hospitals, scientists have warned. A team of researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee explored how best to minimise the risk of infection after surgery. They note that despite hand washing and other protocols, surgical-site infections continue to pose a problem. Children's toys could act as a reservoir for bacteria and bring germs into hospitals, scientists at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, have warned . The researchers concluded this implied one of two scenarios. Firstly, that current infection prevention methods are not effective. And secondly that there are alternative sources of bacterial exposure to the surgical wound. Their study revealed that soft toys brought into the operating theatre by children served as a breeding ground for bacteria. They urged parents to be aware of the dangers comfort items could pose, and take steps to eradicate the risk. Dr Jonathan Schoenecker and his team aimed to investigate if cuddly toys contribute to surgical-site infections. They swabbed stuffed animals that were brought into hospital by children ahead of surgery. The findings revealed that all those soft toys swabbed showed bacterial growth. In addition, the researchers demonstrated that a single wash and dry cycle at home, followed by sealing the toy in a plastic bag for 24 hours, effectively 'sterilised' 79 per cent of those soft toys tested. Researchers urged parents to wash and sterilise their child's toys before bringing them into the operating theatre, to help minimise the risk of their child suffering a surgical-site infection . The study report states: 'These results indicate that items of comfort, such as stuffed animals, brought into the operating room with a benevolent purpose may represent a reservoir of bacteria that could lead to unwanted surgical-site infections. 'Washing an item of comfort one day before surgery effectively sterilises that item.' The researchers note that future studies will be needed to determine the correlation between stuffed animals that test positive for bacteria and surgical-site infections. Another area to look at is whether giving a child a 'sterile' soft toy reduces the risk of surgical-site infections.
target: Scientists at Vanderbilt University explored how to reduce infection risk .
  Found all stuffed toys they swabbed showed signs of bacteria growth .
  Urged parents to wash and sterilise any cuddly toys before surgery .