Scary virus hotbeds are very close to you: shower heads and toothbrushes

Hundreds of bacteriophages were discovered in the bathroom - Illustration: Adobe Stock

The team discovered 614 types of viruses after testing samples collected from 96 showerheads and 34 toothbrushes from bathrooms of people who agreed to participate in the study in the US, according to LiveScience .

In particular, each sample contained very different viruses, rarely overlapping. "Each showerhead and each toothbrush is like its own little island," said Erica Hartmann, a professor of microbiology at Northwestern University (USA).

The team found many previously unknown and little-known viruses that were "right under our noses," in this case in the bathroom.

Although found in large numbers, these viruses are bacteriophages, or phages. They are a special type of virus that can live parasitically inside bacteria and eventually kill the bacteria, not humans.

The viruses found in the samples included some that can kill bacteria that cause chronic lung infections, leprosy and tuberculosis, Hartmann said. In addition, the new viruses discovered in the study could help develop treatments against antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

Scientists are working to develop “phage therapy,” which uses viruses to supplement or replace traditional antibiotics to kill dangerous bacteria. By studying these newly discovered viruses further, the team hopes to harness them to create new antibacterial drugs.

“We can envision using these phages as a way to clean domestic plumbing,” says Professor Hartmann.

The team also reassured people about the many viruses found in bathrooms. "Bacteria and viruses live everywhere and the vast majority of them will not make us sick," Ms Hartmann added.

The study was published on October 9 in the journal Frontiers in Microbiomes.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/o-vi-rut-dang-so-rat-gan-voi-ban-voi-sen-va-ban-chai-danh-rang-20241012143454674.htm