Meningococcal bacteria can survive 7 days without host body- study

Ten-year long research has proven that Meningococcal bacteria can last up to one week outside of the human body. Other strains of the bacteria were tested as well, some lasting just four hours. The key finding in this study was that the environment was a good determinant for the bacteria’s survival time.

Additionally, the study wanted to see how contracting the infectious disease might happen when people share drinking bottles, glasses, and dishware, only days after the items had been infected.

Dr. Claire Swain from the school of Biological Sciences at Victoria University in Wellington recalled that the correlation between the temperature and humidity were very notable factors to the survival of the bacteria.