My mother always told me that bacteria does not live as long on a wooden spoon as on plastic? Is this true?

plastic, as a material, doesn't breathe, so certain kinds of bacteria can thrive inside plastic containers. (ex. The US Health Department telling Yu'pik Eskimos to do their "fish heads" practice in plastic buckets rather than the ground and botulism spreading.) but this would not apply to plastic spoons.

more often than not, when it comes to wooden kitchen items, an ecosystem of bacteria will grow in the wood grains and can have the effect of destroying foreign bacteria (which are more often than not the ones that could cause you harm). still, it's a good idea to have a stone or plastic cutting board that can be washed for things known to harbor certain kinds of bacteria (poultry, et al).

this also holds true for many of the bacteria that live on your body: they're your first line of defense. this is why doctors recommend to use anti-bacterial soap sparingly, if at all.

it's also valuable to know that an infant receives most of its antibodies through its mother's milk. the mother's body will produce the antibodies in the breast milk in response to external stimuli (given that she has the antibodies). and many of these are mitochondrial bacteria. the more environs a mother exposes her child to, the more antibodies the child receives.

as far as spoons are concerned: I think this is a mix up on your mother's part.

I've heard studies that proved that about cutting boards, but I don't know about spoons.

Turns out wood apparently has natural antibiotic tendencies, where most plastic doesn't.

Can you extract antibiotics from tree bark? You might win some kind of prize for that one.

I don't think it has a bit to do with tree bark.

Certain woods contain high levels of Lignin, which has been shown to deter the growth of certain bacteria and possibly even act as a antibacterial agent.

Though I still say stick with plastic. It's much easier to wash.

EMT's use plastic backboards now instead of wood because they are easier to clean since they do not absorb fluid being less porous. Semi related idea.