Bacteria on the common communion cup.

Abstract

Letters1 April 1993Bacteria on the Common Communion CupTerrance C. Furlow, MD and Mark J. Dougherty, MDTerrance C. Furlow, MDSearch for more papers by this author and Mark J. Dougherty, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-118-7-199304010-00027 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Although many church denominations have begun using individual cups for each communicant, some continue to use a common cup. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show the presence of viable, pathogenic bacteria on the common cup after a Eucharistic service.An urban, family-oriented parish with approximately 250 communicants was studied. Eight Eucharistic services were randomly selected between December 1990 and April 1991. Each cup was cultured 10 minutes after the Eucharistic service, although cups were not always cultured before the service. The entire rim of each cup was swabbed with a sterile cotton applicator ...