Bacterial counts from hospital doctors' ties are higher than those from shirts.

Doctor ties are often contaminated with bacteria, and it has been suggested that they should not be worn. We have compared bacterial counts from the ties and shirt pockets of 50 doctors. Counts were higher (P = .002) from ties that were rarely, if ever, cleaned than from shirts that were washed every 2 days or more frequently. The results support the need for further research on unwashable clothing of hospital staff.