A study by Northwestern University researchers have found that showerheads and toothbrushes are teeming with an extremely diverse collection of viruses — most of which have never been seen before. Although this might sound ominous, the good news is these viruses don’t target people. They target bacteria.
The microorganisms collected in the study are bacteriophage, or “phage,” a type of virus that infects and replicates inside of bacteria. Although researchers know little about them, phage recently have garnered attention for their potential use in treating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. The previously unknown viruses lurking in our bathrooms could become a treasure trove of materials for exploring those applications. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiomes.
“The number of viruses that we found is absolutely wild,” said Northwestern’s Erica M. Hartmann, who led the study said in a 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 untapped biodiversity is all 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 Dr. Hartmann and her colleagues at University of Colorado at Boulder characterised bacteria living on toothbrushes and showerheads. For the previous studies, the researchers asked people to submit used toothbrushes and swabs with samples collected from their showerheads.
Inspired by concerns that a flushing toilet might generate a cloud of aerosol particles, Dr. Hartmann called the toothbrush study, “Operation Pottymouth.”
“This project started as a curiosity,” Dr. Hartmann said. “We wanted to know what microbes are living in our homes. If you think about indoor environments, surfaces like tables and walls are really difficult for microbes to live on. Microbes prefer environments with water. And where is there water? Inside our showerheads and on our toothbrushes.”
After characterising bacteria, she used DNA sequencing to examine the viruses living on those same samples. Altogether, the samples comprised more than 600 different viruses — and no two samples were alike.
While they found few patterns among all the samples, Dr. Hartmann and her team did notice more mycobacteriophage than other types of phage. Mycobacteriophage infect mycobacteria, a pathogenic species that causes diseases like leprosy, tuberculosis and chronic lung infections. Dr. Hartmann imagines that, someday, researchers could harness mycobacteriophage to treat these infections and others.
Dr. Hartmann cautions people not to fret about the invisible wildlife living within our bathrooms. Instead of grabbing for bleach, people can soak their showerheads in vinegar to remove calcium build up or simply wash them with plain soap and water. And people should regularly replace toothbrush heads, she says.
Published – October 12, 2024 09:15 pm IST
