THE doctor’s tie, a traditional symbol of medical authority which inspires respect and fear in patients, nurses and orderlies alike, may have to be mothballed after being identified as a breeding ground for potentially lethal infections.

A study by microbiologists in America found that almost half of the ties worn by medical staff carried bacteria.

In the study, conducted on hospital staff in New York, doctors were eight times more likely to have disease-causing pathogens on their ties than non-medical workers, raising concerns over the spread of infection between patients.

One in four of the ties was found to carry Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, while more than 10 per cent had other bugs, including pneumonia.

The findings, presented yesterday to the American Society for Microbiology, back up theories that dangling ties encourage the spread of disease in hospitals.

Steven Nurkin, who led the research at the New York Medical Centre of Queens, a 500-bed teaching hospital, said that 48 per cent of physicians, physicians’ assistants and medical students had contaminated ties, while only 6 per cent of security staff carried traces of bacteria.

“This study brings into question whether wearing a necktie is in the best interest of our patients,” Dr Nurkin said. “Being well dressed adds to an aura of professionalism and has been correlated with higher patient confidence. Senior physicians and hospital administrators often encourage staff to wear neckties, but they may also be facilitating the spread of infectious organisms.”

The researchers said that while there was no direct proof that ties had passed bacteria between patients, there was every possibility of this, either from direct contact or if the clinician handled his tie after contact with a patient.

Doctors’ leaders said that they were aware of the risks. “Ties are a hygiene concern because they hang down and can touch patients and they are infrequently washed,” the British Medical Association said. “We feel that doctors should not be obliged to wear ties.”

Andrew Thomson, a doctor at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, said that the profession was coming to recognise that ties posed unnecessary risks, particularly with the rise in antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

Bow-ties, traditionally considered more hygienic, are equally infectious. A random trial on both, published in the British Medical Journal, found that there was no difference in the amount of contamination.

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