As the novel coronavirus continues to spread in the United States and worldwide, swapping out a handshake for a fist bump can greatly cut down on the transfer of bacteria, according to a study conducted in the United Kingdom.

A handshake transfers 10 times as many bacteria as a fist bump, and bacteria transmission in a high-five landed somewhere in between, the study shows.

High bacteria transmission in a handshake happens because of the large area of contact and the length of the action, researchers in Aberystwyth University in Wales showed in their 2014 study.

To conduct the research, scientists took a pair of sterile rubber gloves, dipped one in E. Coli bacteria and then performed the different greetings to examine bacteria transfer.

The study also measured whether handshake grip pressure had an impact on germ spread and found strong grips and prolonged shakes resulted in significantly greater transfer of bacteria.

The scientists encouraged widespread adaptation of the fist bump as a more hygienic alternative to the handshake.