A Florida student's science project made national headlines when she found ice at some restaurants contained more bacteria than toilet water. The Problem Solvers put ice at Central Florida eateries to the test.

Local 6 News collected ice samples from five different area fast-food restaurants.

At a McDonald's restaurant in Orlando, a hidden camera caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a filthy nozzle on the ice dispenser, the report said.

There appeared to be nothing unusual at a Burger King on state Road 436 in Apopka or at a Taco Bell on Highway 17-92.

At an Arby's restaurant in Orlando and a Wendy's in Winter Park, Fla., there were no automatic ice dispensers, just employees with a scoop.

Local 6 News turned over samples of ice from the restaurants to Flowers Chemical Laboratories for testing.

"We tested for total coliform," Jeff Flowers said. "Total coliform is associated with man. We test for this organism because we know if we found it, we found the presence of man."

"So, this is something you can't see, you can't smell, you can't taste, correct?" Local 6 reporter Nancy Alvarez said.

"Correct," Flowers said.

Flowers said it is a common misconception that bacteria can't grow on ice because it's so cold.

"Bacteria can lay on the ice and infect you later and that's why there are standards to control the level of bacteria that's acceptable," Flowers said.

Lab results showed four out of five samples taken from the restaurants turned out to be clean ice.

However, one showed high levels of bacteria -- an ice sample taken at the Arby's located at 801 Lee Road in Orlando.

"We found seven colonies instead of the one that we wanted to," Flowers said. "So we found seven times as much as should be there."

The manager at the Arby's restaurant would not talk to Local 6 News about the result.

The Arby's restaurant does not have an automatic ice dispenser and Flowers said that could have made all of the difference.

"When you use the scoop, there's a chance that somebody's sick and they use that scoop, now that's going to be present," Flowers said.

"And that could potentially make you sick?" Alvarez asked.

"Yes," Flowers said.

An Arby's representative did get back to Local 6 News and said the company is concerned about the report's findings, according to Alvarez.

"They had the ice machine at the restaurant on Lee Road serviced yesterday," Alvarez said. "They are also conducting their own investigation and working closely with the health department."

Alvarez said a good place to get clean ice would be restaurants like the Taco Bell in Winter Park.

"Their ice dispenser had an ice maker attached to it," Alvarez said. "So that immediately lowers the chance of bacteria because no one has put their hands on or even close to the ice."

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.