WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new report shows forensic experts may one day be able to link a person to an object the person touched -- through the bacteria on the person's hand.

It turns out, everyone's bacteria is different. The lead author of the study says everyone "leaves a unique trail of bugs" in their wake.

While the project is in its preliminary stage, researchers believe it could eventually become a valuable new forensic tool.

Overall, the researchers said, their technique is between 70 percent and 90 percent accurate. They expect that to improve as the technique becomes more sophisticated.

An earlier study found the average human hand contains about 150 species of bacteria with only about 13 percent shared by any two people.