As if you need another reason to not drink soda, now scientists tell us there’s poop bacteria in those fizzy beverages Americans love so much! I thought this story was just plain gross, but it’s definitely one that a lot of readers need to hear (you know who you are, soda drinkers!)

A recent study found fecal bacteria in 48 percent of fountain beverages tested.  Think about those machines, with their plastic tubing lines that run from a box of concentrated soda to the actual fountain—how often do you think they even clean those lines? Apparently not often enough!

Among the types of bacteria they found were E. coli, C. meningosepticum, klebsiella, staphylococcus, stenotrophomonas, candida and serratia, and according to researchers, “These findings suggest that soda fountain machines may harbor persistent communities of potentially pathogenic microorganisms which may contribute to episodic gastric distress in the general population and could pose a more significant health risk to immune-compromised individuals.” Translation? There’s really bad stuff in your soda pop!

Do you want fries with that? I don’t think so!