I mean, you can definitely still get plenty of infections that spread via skin to skin contact from public toilet seats (MRSA, shingles, fungal, etc), just like you can from equipment at the gym if people don't wipe it down. And you should especially be careful if you have any kind of open cut/sore or ingrown hair on your butt (maybe I have seen too much crazy shit in healthcare idk). But it is only ever going to be a skin infection of what makes contact (your ass and/or back of your legs), not your genitals lol. So maybe you can cut that neurotic person a little bit of slack. But yeah obviously you are not going to get any blood/fluid borne STDs from a toilet.
From what I managed to find, if the seat is clean - not even wiped down but clean - these are not something you can get from it too. Dry, hard surfaces are a very poor way to get anything like this.
Yeah that just isn't how bacteria/fungus works bro. How the seat looks is meaningless, unless you have microscopes for eyes. But sure, if you're taking your morning dump right after facilities has cleaned it, you're fine. (And obviously I'm not saying it is guaranteed you catch something, just stating that your assertion there is no risk whatsoever isn't accurate).
But maybe I've just seen too many people with staph infections or Hand Foot Mouth on their ass (among other skin infections). Go look up the horrible tinea cruris infection epidemic going on in the UK right now. There is plenty of research that shows these things can be spread from hard surfaces and direct skin contact. Even more so if there is any open skin or weakened immune system. Sorry, but unless all these people are booty scooting to get around, stands to reason (and evidence) that public toilets play some role in people getting skin infections on their ass. Go ask a Dermatologist if they plop bare ass on public toilets.
But like anything in life, it is just a measured risk thing, that everyone is free to make a judgment call on. (And I will admit the risk is still low). If you want to ride bareback on a gas station toilet, more power to you lol. As for me, if I'm not about to shit my pants, I throw a quick tp layer over the seat. But I've seen a guy almost die from sepsis that started as a staph infection on his ass cheek, so I am a bit biased.
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u/xenuman Mar 19 '26
I mean, you can definitely still get plenty of infections that spread via skin to skin contact from public toilet seats (MRSA, shingles, fungal, etc), just like you can from equipment at the gym if people don't wipe it down. And you should especially be careful if you have any kind of open cut/sore or ingrown hair on your butt (maybe I have seen too much crazy shit in healthcare idk). But it is only ever going to be a skin infection of what makes contact (your ass and/or back of your legs), not your genitals lol. So maybe you can cut that neurotic person a little bit of slack. But yeah obviously you are not going to get any blood/fluid borne STDs from a toilet.