Shower heads and toothbrushes carry an extremely diverse collection of viruses. In fact, many of them have never been seen before.
More specifically, a team of microbiologists conducted research led by Northwestern University, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiomes. The researchers clarify that these viruses do not target humans, but instead are bacteriophages, or phages, as they are otherwise called. Although the research community knows little about them, phages have recently garnered attention for their potential use in treating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
The previously unknown viruses lurking in our bathrooms could, according to the researchers, be a reservoir of materials for investigating these applications.
More than 600 different viruses were found in the samples they took: “We found many viruses that we know very little about and many others that we have never seen before. It’s amazing how much untapped biodiversity there is around us. And we don’t have to go far to find her. It’s right under our noses,” says study leader Erica Hartman, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering.
Researchers are warning people not to worry about the invisible life that lives inside our bathrooms. “Germs are everywhere and the vast majority of them will not make us sick. The more you attack them with disinfectants, the more likely they are to develop resistance or become more difficult to treat,” concludes Erika Hartman.
Source: RES-MPE
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