It turns out men with beards carry more germs than dogs according to a new study

Bearded fellas, we have to talk.

Researchers have found men's beards may harbour a significantly higher amount of dangerous bacteria compared to dog fur.

Swiss researchers took swabs from the beards of 18 men, as well as the necks of 30 dogs, then compared the results.

They found the dogs' fur had fewer germs.

Seven of the men were found to have microbes that are actually a threat to human health.

"The researchers found a significantly higher bacterial load in specimens taken from the men's beards compared with the dogs' fur," Professor Andreas Gutzeit, of Switzerland's Hirslanden Clinic, said.

"The study found all of the bearded men, aged from 18 to 76, showed high microbial counts, but only 23 out of 30 dogs had high counts. The remainder had moderate levels," Gutzeit said.

"On the basis of these findings, dogs can be considered as clean compared with bearded men," he added.

This article was first published on the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.