5 Reasons You Should Be Wearing Gloves

Clean fingernails aren’t the only incentive for donning protective hand gear

- Mark Blaskovich

Gardening is a great way to be at one with nature and get your hands dirty. But lurking in that environment are some nasty bacteria and fungi with the potential to cause you serious harm. We therefore need to be vigilant with gardening gloves and other protective wear.

Soils contain all sorts of bacteria and fungi, most of which are beneficial and do helpful things like breaking down organic matter. But some microorganisms in soil can cause serious damage when given the opportunity to enter the body. This commonly happens through cuts, scrapes or splinters.

Plants, animal manure and compost are also sources of bacteria and fungi that can cause infections.

1. Tetanus

Traditionally, the most common and well-known infection is tetanus, caused by Clostridium tetani, which lives in soil and manure. Infections occur through contamination of cuts and scrapes caused by things in contact with the soil, such as garden tools or rose thorns.

Fortunately, most people have been vaccinated against tetanus, which means even if you are infected, your body is able to fight back against the bacteria to prevent the infection from becoming serious. Symptoms include weakness, stiffness and cramps, with the toxins released leading to muscular paralysis and difficulty chewing and swallowing — hence the common term for tetanus of “lockjaw”.

2. Sepsis