Doctors' ties 'spread disease'

Doctors are today being urged to abandon their ties after they were identified as a breeding ground for disease.

A study by microbiologists has found that almost half of ties worn by medical staff carried bacteria while one in 10 had other bugs, including pneumonia.

The research, carried out on hospital staff in New York, found doctors are eight times more likely to have disease-causing pathogens on ties than non-medical workers.

Dr Steve Nurkin, who led the study, said 48 per cent of physicians' assistants and medical students had infected ties, compared with only six per cent of security staff.

"This study brings into question whether wearing a necktie is in the best interests of our patients," he said.

"Being well dressed adds to an aura of professionalism and has been correlated with high patient confidence. Senior physicians and hospital administrators often encourage staff to wear neckties, but they may also be facilitating the spread of infectious organisms."

A spokesman for the British Medical Association told The Times: "Ties are a hygiene concern because they hang down and can touch patients and they are infrequently washed.

"We feel that doctors should not be obliged to wear ties."