American microbiologists have mapped the variation of viruses in our bathrooms. It turns out that two places stand out: toothbrushes and showerheads.
The humid and moderately warm environment makes it a dream spot for various microbes.
"The number of viruses we found is completely crazy. We found many viruses that we've never seen before," says Erica Hartmann, researcher at McCormick School of Engineering, who led the study, in a statement.
Over 600
The study is based on samples from 34 toothbrushes and 92 showerheads from different American homes. The researchers analyzed these and mapped the DNA to see what types of viruses they were dealing with. They were surprised by the variation they found. There were over 600 different virus types, and besides, it was almost entirely different viruses on each toothbrush and showerhead.
The reassuring message is that it's not about viruses that make us humans sick, but about viruses that infect bacteria.
The study is a kind of continuation of Hartmann's previous research "operation pottymouth" where she investigated whether bacteria that spread in the air when we flush the toilet end up on the toothbrush. This turned out not to be true, but the bacteria that are on the toothbrush are those that are in our mouths – not in the toilet.
"Use vinegar"
The conclusion is therefore that we shouldn't panic. On the other hand, it's according to Erica Hartmann a good idea to replace the toothbrush regularly and to wash the showerhead with vinegar or soap and water to remove lime deposits.
The study has been published in the Journal Frontiers in Microbiomes.
