EXCLUSIVEHow filthy is YOUR Fitbit? Shocking results of Daily Mail experiment reveal the type of fitness tracker that could give you a nasty infection

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Smartwatches used to track fitness goals are riddled with more bacteria, dead skin cells, and grime than people may realize - and most users do not think to clean the bands.

Experts have warned that this could put the 40 percent of Americans who own a device at risk of serious infections like pneumonia. 

The warnings are a response to a series of investigations carried out by DailyMail.com, which aimed to discover if tracker wearers are at risk of infections.

This included a small survey asking how often people washed their Fitbit or Apple Watch bands, along with a forensic experiment that showed alarming bacteria proliferation on some types of trackers. 

Three out of the five wearables we tested were found to be contaminated with shockingly high levels of bacteria - which grew rapidly. 

The popular devices, priced between $50-$700, are marketed as a must-have for any fitness fan, claiming to accurately track a range of health measurements like heart rate, calories burned and, of course, step count. 

DailyMail.com conducted investigations to find out just how much bacteria is lurking in your fitbit or Apple watch. After two days in a petri dish, bugs began to proliferate in samples taken from rubber and plastic bands

But speaking exclusively to this website, a top biological scientist has warned that this bit of kit could be putting wearers at risk of itchy skin infections.

‘Accumulation of bacteria and dirt could lead to itching, contamination of other materials and infections,’ said Professor Nwadiuto Esiobu, biological scientist at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science in Florida. 

‘Over time, the bacteria become a reservoir of antibiotic resistance, a major problem in treating infectious diseases.'

Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health crisis: it describes the process by which lingering bacteria develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. 

Our findings come as a recent study revealed that 95 percent of wristbands carry harmful bacteria that cause boils, vomiting and diarrhea.

Prof Esiobu and colleagues at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science found that out of 20 cultured smartwatch wristbands, 95 percent carried harmful bacteria.

It's estimated that some 40 percent of Americans use a fitness tracker of some sort to monitor their progress - but experts say the wearables could be putting them at risk of serious infections

The study published in the journal Advances in Infectious Diseases found that rubber or plastic wristbands, in particular, carry harmful bacteria such as Staphylococcus and E. Coli. 

Staphylococcus can cause a skin infection that leads to boils, blisters, and skin redness, most often around the mouth and nose.

If the infection spreads, it can cause pneumonia. Or, if ingested, the bacteria can cause food poisoning, leading to severe stomach pain and nausea. 

The bug can, in rare cases, damage heart valves, leading to possible heart failure, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Bacteria-laden smartwatches can put people who are more susceptible to disease at risk, senior author and a professor of biological sciences in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Nwadiuto Esiobu, Ph.D. and her team wrote in the study.

The researchers are particularly concerned about health workers wearing the watches - who could be exposing vulnerable patients to infections. 

The study revealed that while rubber wristbands had high levels of bacteria, contamination on metal bands, especially gold and silver, had little to no bacteria.

For the first part of our investigation, we conducted a small survey involving a group of 20-35 year-olds who regularly wear fitness trackers. 

In response to a question about whether they clean their fitness tracker, 12 said they never do, seven said they wash it every fortnight, and one said they do it once a month. 

After five days, the petri dish with samples from the rubber and silicon bands were completely covered in yellow spores - a sign of fast-growing bacteria. The metal bands, however, showed no germs whatsoever

Next, Dailymail.com set out to discover how much bacteria is lurking on different types of fitness trackers. 

First, we prepared five petri dishes - these are specially designed pots that contain substances that feed bacteria and help them to grow.

Essentially, if bacteria is in the pot, you will see it. Next, we ran a wet cotton bud across the bands of five different fitness trackers - all of which were either smartwatches or Fitbits - to get a sample of potential bacteria.

Two bands were made from rubber, two from silicon and one from metal. 

The cotton swab was rolled onto the petri dish to transfer the bacteria.

By the end of the first day it seemed no bacteria would develop, but as the days wore on and the samples matured, it started to become clear that there was more than met the eye.

By the end of day five - the recommended maturity period - the petri dishes with bacteria from rubber and silicon bands were completely coated in a yellow-like substance, showing just how full of bacteria they were. 

Meanwhile, the same test conducted on a metal band showed it had no bacteria at all.

The reason for a higher bacteria count on plastic and rubber bands could be because their porous and static surfaces provide a better environment for bacterial growth, Esiobu and her team said in the study.

Certain watch bands containing metals, like gold, have anti-microbial attributes, while alternate bands have breakable surfaces that can trap bacteria. 

Cleaning your smartwatch daily is the best way to reduce bacteria and the chance of infection, and it could be as simple as washing it with soap and water.

A nurse practitioner, who goes by Jess Maria on TikTok, posted a video on the platform calling on people to thoroughly clean their smart watches - especially after working out.

 'Just had a patient who got a Staph [Staphylococcus] infection from their Apple Watch,' she said in the video, while showing viewers how to appropriately clean their watch band.

Miranda Todor, a recent nursing graduate who works at George Washington Hospital in Washington, D.C., was one of only two surveyed who admitted to cleaning her wristband daily.

‘As a nursing student, we learn a lot about hygiene and disease prevention,’ she told Dailymail.com.

‘Hospitals are graded on in-hospital acquired diseases like pneumonia.’

‘I could have patients with MRSA infections, Covid, c-diff, or pretty much anything else you could think of,’ Todor continued.

Todor said wearing her smartwatch while at work makes it easier to take vitals, but she makes sure to clean the strap inside and outside of the watch with alcohol swabs as soon as she gets home each day.

‘Basically, I don’t want to bring any of that home with me,’ she said.

The most effective way to thoroughly clean your smartwatch band is by wiping it down with Lysol Disinfectant Spray or with alcohol wipes, proven to kill 99.99 percent of E. coli and staph bacteria after just 30 seconds of wiping it down.