The fist bump: a more hygienic alternative to the handshake

Sara Mela; David E Whitworth

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2014.04.011

The fist bump: a more hygienic alternative to the handshake

Am J Infect Control. 2014 Aug;42(8):916-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2014.04.011.

Authors

Sara Mela¹, David E Whitworth²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Biological, Environmental, and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion, United Kingdom.
² Institute of Biological, Environmental, and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion, United Kingdom. Electronic address: dew@aber.ac.uk.

PMID: 25087144
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2014.04.011

Abstract

The handshake is a commonplace greeting in many cultures, but it has the potential to transmit infectious organisms directly between individuals. We developed an experimental model to assay transfer of bacteria during greeting exchange, and show that transfer is dramatically reduced when engaging in alternative so-called dap greetings known as the high five and fist bump compared with a traditional handshake. Adoption of the fist bump as a greeting could substantially reduce the transmission of infectious disease between individuals.

Keywords: Bacteria; Greeting; Hygiene; Pathogen; Transmission.

MeSH terms

Bacteria / isolation & purification*
Bacterial Infections / transmission*
Behavior Therapy
Gestures*
Hand Hygiene*
Humans