Why Germs Prefer Handshakes to Fist Bumps

Physician says fist-bumping should be adopted in daily life.

"When you go into a room with a patient with MRSA, you put on a gown and wash your hands," he said. "Meanwhile, the patient's family is there without any of that on, and you go shake their hands, which probably have MRSA on [them]." So McClellan had an inspiration, prompted by how he greets his young kids: "Hey, how about a fist bump?" We asked him to elaborate on the merits of fist-bumping.

I do. And I'll tell you why. One, MRSA is really rampant in the community. When you go to Whole Foods or something like that, you wipe your cart handle down with an antibacterial cloth. We have alcohol sanitizers in hospitals. Well, that stuff is ineffective against

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