Featured Post from Aston University

Study reveals the inside of your car is dirtier than the average toilet

Feb 2, 2022

3 min

Dr Jonathan A. G. Cox



A study by researchers in the College of Health and Life Sciences at Aston University and commissioned by Scrap Car Comparison has revealed that the inside of our cars have significantly higher levels of germs on them than the average toilet.


The researchers took samples from car interiors with varied ownership histories, to establish bacterial contamination levels within the vehicles and to highlight how thoroughly people clean their cars.


The results revealed that motorists should be cleaning the inside of their cars more frequently, with harmful bacteria likely to be discovered in most cars out on the road today. In particular, the study found that the car boot plays host to significantly high levels of bacteria, with E.coli likely to be found in every boot and potentially on your driver’s seat.


More commonly known as faecal bacteria, the findings pose a clear concern for anyone that puts their fruit and vegetables in the boot after a trip to the shops or enjoys a drive-thru dinner in the driver’s seat.


Dr Jonathan Cox, a senior lecturer in microbiology at Aston University, said: “The results of this study are fascinating, as they help to show that despite cleaning our cars, the older they are, the dirtier they generally are.

“This becomes key when thinking about areas such as the car boot or driver’s seat. Many of us have placed loose food shopping in our boots, or dropped the odd crisp onto our seat, before picking it up and eating it.”


Other areas tested included the gearstick, dashboard and backseat which also saw higher levels of bacterial contamination than is found on the average domestic toilet. Bacteria found included Pseudomonas, a bacterium with strains that can’t easily be treated with antibiotics and Staph Aureus, a germ associated with coughs and sneezes that in some cases is linked to MRSA.


The researchers identified the filthiest areas of a car:


1. Boot - 1,425 bacteria identified

2. Driver’s seat - 649 bacteria identified

3. Gearstick - 407 bacteria identified

4. Back seat - 323 bacteria identified

5. Dashboard - 317 bacteria identified

6. Steering wheel - 146 bacteria identified.


There was also a correlation discovered between the age of a car, and the levels of bacteria likely to be found within it. The older cars sampled for the study exhibited higher bacteria loads than those that have been on the road for a shorter amount of time.


However, the researchers found that out of all areas of our cars, the steering wheel was generally found to be the cleanest. This high-contact area saw very low levels of bacterial contamination and could be due to the uplift in hand sanitiser use following the COVID-19 pandemic.


Dr Cox added: “These results highlight that we should change how we think about our cars and cleanliness. Often, we will clean our cars based on whether they ‘look’ clean versus whether they actually are clean. But you would never even think about eating off your toilet seat.

“Upholstery should ideally be given a deep clean and in future I will always clean any used car I might purchase!”


Dan Gick, managing director at Scrap Car Comparison, commented: “Taking care of your car, from making sure it’s running well to keeping it clean, all work towards ensuring it has a long life and is a car you love mile after mile. The last thing you want is for your car to become a risk on the roads, as well as a risk to your health.

“We hope the results of this study help to highlight the importance of taking good care of your car inside and out. It’s worth thinking about how often you clean the inside of your house and apply the same thought process to your car, especially if you tend to drive it every day”.


Connect with:
Dr Jonathan A. G. Cox

Dr Jonathan A. G. Cox

Lecturer in Microbiology

Dr Cox's research interests surround the discovery of new antibiotics & identifying the mechanisms by which those antibiotics kill bacteria.

Health SciencesBiochemistryAntibioticsAntimicrobial ResistanceMicro-Organisms

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Aston University

2 min

Aston University’s Ian Maidment helps develop training for pharmacy staff supporting those with long COVID

The e-learning resource, Supporting people living with long COVID, was developed by the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) It is designed to help community pharmacy teams build their skills, knowledge and confidence The programme offers video and audio resources, practical consultation examples and strategies for supporting individuals. Professor Ian Maidment at Aston Pharmacy School has been involved in a project with the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) to develop a new e-learning programme for community pharmacists, called Supporting people living with long COVID. The programme is designed to help community pharmacy teams build their skills, knowledge and confidence to support people managing the long-term effects of COVID-19. It was developed with researchers undertaking the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded PHARM-LC research study: What role can community PHARMacy play in the support of people with long COVID? During the development of the e-learning resource, as well as with Professor Maidment, CPPE worked in collaboration with researchers from Keele University, the University of Kent, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and lechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru (Public Health Wales). The research draws on lived experience of long COVID, as well as the views of community pharmacy teams on what learning they need to better support people living with the condition. This new programme offers video and audio resources, practical consultation examples and strategies for supporting individuals through lifestyle advice, person-centred care and access to wider services. Professor Maidment said: “As an ex-community pharmacist, community pharmacy can have a key role in helping people living with long COVID. The approach is in line with the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, which aims to develop the role of community pharmacy in supporting people with long-term conditions.” Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham, professor of general practice research at Keele University, said: “Two million people in the UK are living with long COVID, a condition people are still developing, which may not be readily recognised, because routine testing for acute infection has largely stopped. For many, the pharmacy is the first place they seek advice about persisting symptoms following viral infection. The pharmacy team, therefore, has the potential to play a really important role in supporting people with long COVID. This learning programme provides evidence-based information to develop the confidence of pharmacy staff in talking to people with long COVID. Developed with people living with long COVID, the programme’s key message is to believe and empathise with people about their symptoms.” Visit www.cppe.ac.uk/programmes/l/covid-e-01 to access the e-learning programme. This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme (Grant Reference Number NIHR205384).

5 min

Aston University: From Metformin to modern obesity therapies

Early beginnings: from herbal medicine to modern drug The origins of a modern diabetes therapy can be traced back to Galega officinalis (goat’s rue), a herb used in European folk medicine for centuries to treat excessive thirst and urination. Its active chemical, guanidine, was found to lower blood sugar in animals in 1918, inspiring the synthesis of a family of drugs known as biguanides. Among these new drugs was metformin, created in 1922 and introduced as a treatment for diabetes in Europe in the late 1950s. However, by the 1970s, metformin was largely disregarded because other biguanide medicines were being withdrawn due to their side-effect of lactic acidosis. Revival in the 1990s: Aston’s role in rediscovery In the early 1990s, research at Aston University provided a decisive turning point. Professor Cliff Bailey and his colleagues revealed that metformin’s primary action occurred in the intestine, where it promoted glucose metabolism and reduced blood sugar without causing weight gain. Their studies clarified that concerns about lactic acid were largely due to misuse, not inherent toxicity. These findings reignited global interest in metformin. Professor Bailey presented his work as an expert witness to the US Food and Drug Administration in 1994, a critical step in securing approval of the drug in the US. He also assisted the European Medicines Agency during periodic reassessments. “My research has always focused on understanding how type 2 diabetes develops and how best to treat it.” Professor Clifford Bailey, Aston University. Establishing global first-line therapy Momentum built through the late 1990s. The UK Prospective Diabetes Study (1998) demonstrated that metformin not only improved blood sugar but also reduced cardiovascular risk, strengthening the case for its wider adoption. By 2012, the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes recommended metformin as the preferred first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes. “We discovered that metformin worked somewhat differently from what was previously thought. By showing how it could be used safely and effectively, we helped pave the way for its wider acceptance.” Today, metformin is the most prescribed diabetes drug worldwide. It is included in the World Health Organization’s Essential Medicines List and has been taken by hundreds of millions of patients, profoundly reshaping global diabetes care. New directions: dapagliflozin and the SGLT-2 inhibitors After the success of metformin, Aston played a central role in the next wave of diabetes medicines. In the 2000s, Professor Bailey was principal investigator in clinical trials for dapagliflozin, the first of the sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors. Unlike older therapies, SGLT inhibitors lower blood sugar by blocking reabsorption of glucose in the kidneys, causing excess glucose to be excreted in urine. Large international trials demonstrated additional benefits, including weight reduction, lower blood pressure, and improved outcomes for patients with kidney and heart disease. Since its launch in 2012, dapagliflozin has become the most widely prescribed SGLT-2 inhibitor, with more than five million patients treated. It is now embedded in global treatment guidelines, expanding therapeutic options to improve the control of blood glucose and body weight. Foundations for modern obesity therapies The influence of Aston University’s research extends beyond metformin and dapagliflozin. The University’s diabetes research team also studied gut hormones such as GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide), which play a central role in regulating insulin secretion and fat metabolism. These early discoveries helped lay the groundwork for today’s incretin-based therapies, including combined GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonists such as tirzepatide. Now widely known as 'anti-obesity injections', these medicines emerged as diabetes treatments and are now transforming care for overweight people with and without type 2 diabetes. Key findings from the research at Aston University Metformin is now being investigated for its anti-ageing and fertility benefits Dapagliflozin shows promise against heart and kidney diseases and gout Gut hormones such as GIP may hold the key to entirely new treatment strategies Why does this matter? The work by Professor Bailey and his colleagues at Aston University has contributed to metformin’s recognition as the primary treatment worldwide for type 2 diabetes. Today, at least half of all patients in Western countries are prescribed metformin — an incredibly cost-effective medicine that continues to save lives. “We identified early on that gut hormones such as GIP were central players in the control of blood glucose and body weight — long before they became the basis for today’s new generation of anti-obesity medicines.” This original research helped lay the scientific foundation for breakthrough treatments like tirzepatide, widely hailed as a game-changer in obesity and diabetes care. Aston University also contributed to the development of dapagliflozin, the first in a new class of drugs that lower blood sugar while also protecting the heart and kidneys. “Millions of people worldwide are living longer and healthier lives because of therapies that have been underpinned by research at Aston University.” Looking ahead Type 2 diabetes remains one of the world’s most pressing health challenges, affecting more than 500 million people globally. Its progressive nature demands a continual search for safer, more effective treatments. From helping rescue a nearly forgotten drug in the 1990s to shaping the next generation of therapies, Aston University’s research has left an enduring mark on clinical practice, regulation, and patient outcomes. The legacy of this work is clear: millions of people worldwide are living longer, healthier lives because of medicines that Aston helped bring to the forefront of modern diabetes and obesity care. About Cliff Bailey is Emeritus Professor of Clinical Science and Anniversary Professor at Aston University in Birmingham, England. He has served on medical and scientific committees of Diabetes UK (formerly the British Diabetic Association), Society for Endocrinology, and European Association for the Study of Diabetes. He has served as a diabetes expert for the approval of new medicines by regulatory agencies including the European Medicines Agency and NICE. His research is mainly directed towards the pathogenesis and treatment of diabetes, especially the development of new agents to improve insulin action and reduce obesity, and the therapeutic application of surrogate beta-cells. Dr Bailey has published over 400 research papers and reviews, and four books, and he is particularly known for research on metformin. References to Case Studies and Key Sources Bailey CJ et al. Metformin: Changing the Treatment Algorithm for Type 2 Diabetes. Aston University REF Impact Case Study, 2014. Bailey CJ. Metformin: Historical Overview. Diabetologia, 2017. Bailey CJ & Day C. Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: Future Approaches. British Medical Bulletin, 2018.

4 min

Deaf children share insights on what researchers should study next in Aston University co-led project

Aston University’s Dr Amanda Hall co-led the study with Dr Anisa Visram from the University of Manchester Deaf children and those with experience of childhood deafness have identified their top 10 research priorities including education and family relationships The project was funded by the National Deaf Children’s Society Deaf children and people with experience of childhood deafness from across the UK have come together to highlight what matters most to children affected by deafness and hearing loss, as part of a project funded by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS). From 2023 to 2025, a team of parents, young people and health and education professionals set out to compile a list of the ‘Top 10’ most important questions that researchers should be trying to answer about childhood deafness and hearing loss. The project was co-led by Dr Amanda Hall, a senior lecturer in audiology at Aston University, and Dr Anisa Visram from the University of Manchester in conjunction with researchers at Lancaster University. The hope is that it will ultimately lead to more research into childhood deafness, in the specific areas it’s needed most. Children highlighted the potential impact of them missing out on things happening around them when interacting with their peers as their top priority, demonstrating the importance of social development for deaf children. Family relationships and educational needs ranked as high priorities for both adults and children, coming in the top 3 for both groups. Adults ranked educational needs as number 1, highlighting the importance of supporting deaf children in schools, particularly those with additional needs. Other important areas for research included understanding what support is needed for children with mild and unilateral (on one side) deafness, the impact of language deprivation on deaf children and how deaf children can be supported to understand their deafness and become empowered to advocate for themselves as they grow up into deaf adults. Several hundred respondents contributed to the project through a series of online surveys. Children were involved through activity-based focus groups. Respondents submitted over 1,200 ideas for research questions in the initial surveys. These were summarised into a list of 59 unique questions, and a second survey was used to prioritise the questions. The top 21 questions were then taken to two final full-day workshop where participants collaborated to choose their top 10 priorities. The research team used what’s known as a James Lind Alliance (JLA) priority-setting process to ensure the robustness of the project. Participants reported feeling valued as part of the project and satisfied that their feedback is reflected in the final lists. One of the children who took part in the workshop said: “I learnt that my voice matters and I can make a difference for me and other deaf children.” Dr Hall said: “It has been a real privilege to be part of this JLA partnership, working alongside deaf young people, families of deaf children and professionals to identify our two sets of top 10 research questions. We hope this is just the beginning of more research that reflects what matters most to deaf children, their families and professionals, and of more opportunities to work together.” Dr Visram said: “This has been an incredible project to work on with an amazing, committed, and diverse stakeholder group feeding into the process at all stages. We have formed important collaborations with deaf young people, parents of deaf children, and a whole range of professionals working with deaf children. The group plan to keep working together to promote the Top 10 lists and help develop research projects to start to answer these important questions.” Juliet Viney is a parent to a deaf child and has supported the project as a parent partner. She said: “It has been an absolute privilege working as a parent partner developing our Top 10 most important research questions for childhood deafness. This project has brought together and empowered deaf children and young people, parents and professionals from across the UK; using their valuable lived experiences to provide them with a strong voice to guide researchers towards addressing what is most needed to improve deaf children's educational, health, social and emotional outcomes. I am excited to see which questions will be pursued in further research and the positive impacts these will have on the lives of deaf children!” Dr Sian Lickess, Research and Analysis Lead at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “We are proud to have supported this important partnership, which has brought together the voices of deaf children, their families and professionals to shape future research priorities. The resulting Top 10 lists represent an important step toward ensuring research is aligned with real-world needs and is meaningful to those most affected. We look forward to the impact this work will have on improving outcomes for deaf children.” The full list of priorities identified can be found at: www.childdeafnessresearch.co.uk. As well as the National Deaf Children’s Society, several other partners have also contributed to the project. These include the Professor Kevin Munro’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator award, NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, PF Charitable Trust, Research England’s QR Participatory Research Fund to Lancaster University, and UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship MR/X035999/1.

View all posts
Powered by