Thousands of bacteria live in the bathroom and, when we think about it, it is easy to imagine that the highest concentration of these microorganisms is in the toilet bowl. But a new study has shown that other common bathroom items can also be “homes” to various viruses. According to researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, United States, More than 600 viruses can live on used toothbrushes and showers .
The work was published this Wednesday (9) in the scientific journal Frontiers in Microbiomes. However, although the discovery sounds ominous, the researchers say that these viruses are not capable of harming humans . This is because they are viruses called “bacteriophages “, that is, they infect and replicate within bacteria.
“The number of viruses we found is absolutely wild,” says Northwestern researcher Erica M. Hartmann, who led the study, in press release. “We found many viruses that we know very little about and many others that we have never seen before. It’s amazing how much unexplored biodiversity is around us. And you don’t even have to go far to find it; It’s right under our noses.”
The new study is an offshoot of previous research, in which Hartmann and his colleagues at the University of Colorado, USA, characterized bacteria living on toothbrushes and shower heads. In these previous studies, researchers asked people to send in used toothbrushes and cotton swabs with samples collected from their showers.
After characterizing bacteria, Hartmann then used DNA sequencing to examine the viruses living in those same samples. As a result, she found more than 600 different viruses — and no sample was the same, which shows that there is a vast diversity of microorganisms living in environments like a bathroom.
“We saw basically no overlap in virus types between showers and toothbrushes,” says Hartmann. “We also saw very little overlap between any two samples. Every shower head and every toothbrush is like its own little island. This just highlights the incredible diversity of viruses that are out there.”
Are viruses found on toothbrushes and shower heads dangerous?
Bacteriophages do not pose any health risks to humans, as they only infect bacteria. Little is still known about this type of virus, but recently, bacteriophages have attracted the attention of researchers due to their potential use in the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
In addition, researchers in the current study also discovered that in many samples there was the presence of mycobacteriophages, a type of virus that infects mycobacteria, which cause diseases such as leprosy, tuberculosis and chronic lung infections.
In Hartmann’s view, this discovery suggests that, in the future, researchers will be able to take advantage of the mycobacteriophages found in samples to treat these and other infections.
“We could imagine taking these mycobacteriophages and using them as a way to clean pathogens from your plumbing system,” suggests the researcher. “We want to look at all the functions these viruses can have and figure out how we can use them,” he adds.
Furthermore, the researcher says that there is no reason for people to worry about the microorganisms that live in bathrooms. To avoid taking any risks, simply maintain proper shower cleaning by washing them with water or soap, or vinegar with baking soda, to remove calcium buildup. Another important recommendation is to regularly replace your toothbrush.
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This content was originally published in More than 600 viruses live on toothbrushes and in the shower, suggests a study on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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