Children 's soft toys act as a reservoir for bacteria and bring germs into hospitals , scientists have warned . A team of researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee explored how best to minimise the risk of infection after surgery . They note that despite hand washing and other protocols , surgical-site infections continue to pose a problem . Children 's toys could act as a reservoir for bacteria and bring germs into hospitals , scientists at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee , have warned . The researchers concluded this implied one of two scenarios . Firstly , that current infection prevention methods are not effective . And secondly that there are alternative sources of bacterial exposure to the surgical wound . Their study revealed that soft toys brought into the operating theatre by children served as a breeding ground for bacteria . They urged parents to be aware of the dangers comfort items could pose , and take steps to eradicate the risk . Dr Jonathan Schoenecker and his team aimed to investigate if cuddly toys contribute to surgical-site infections . They swabbed stuffed animals that were brought into hospital by children ahead of surgery . The findings revealed that all those soft toys swabbed showed bacterial growth . In addition , the researchers demonstrated that a single wash and dry cycle at home , followed by sealing the toy in a plastic bag for 24 hours , effectively 'sterilised ' 79 per cent of those soft toys tested . Researchers urged parents to wash and sterilise their child 's toys before bringing them into the operating theatre , to help minimise the risk of their child suffering a surgical-site infection . The study report states : 'These results indicate that items of comfort , such as stuffed animals , brought into the operating room with a benevolent purpose may represent a reservoir of bacteria that could lead to unwanted surgical-site infections . 'Washing an item of comfort one day before surgery effectively sterilises that item . ' The researchers note that future studies will be needed to determine the correlation between stuffed animals that test positive for bacteria and surgical-site infections . Another area to look at is whether giving a child a 'sterile ' soft toy reduces the risk of surgical-site infections .
Scientists at Vanderbilt University explored how to reduce infection risk . The study found that the best way is by using a vaccine against rhinoviruses, which are common in humans and animals but rarely cause disease.