I was told that soap could lyse bacterial membranes if left on long enough to get through the capsule. An optimistic mistruth?
Lysis, hmm, maybe it does lyse them at some point, given a certain concentration. (Doh, I dunno.)
Linkat, as Setanta was saying, fecal matter on unwashed hands that then handle food can be not only icky but very dangerous if the person who didn't wash has a pathogenic bacteria, such as Shigella, in his intestinal tract.
