Shower head, toothbrush… Hundreds of (harmless) viruses in our bathrooms

American researchers have just established the presence of several hundred bacteria-eating viruses on the surfaces of our shower heads and even toothbrushes. Don’t panic, however, these viruses are not responsible for illness.

In the bathrooms: many microscopic guests. As reported by France Info, hundreds of viruses abound on shower trays, their shower heads, the seat or the seat of the toilet. But also…. On the bristles of toothbrushes.

This surprising and unsavory observation is shared in a study published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Microbiomes and led by Northwestern University, near Chicago, in the United States.

Viruses targeting bacteria, not human cells

The information to remember from this study: the viruses present in our bathrooms do not in any way represent a risk or danger for people. These only target bacteria and not human cells. These are, moreover, what we call “phage viruses”.

“Each shower head and each toothbrush is like its own little island. This only highlights the incredible diversity of viruses,” illustrates professor and study director Erica Hartmann on the website of the University of Northwestern.

Thus, these microorganisms would be able to teach us more about certain bacterial infections resistant to antibiotics, for example. “We could look at taking these mycobacteriophages and using them as a way to eliminate pathogens from your plumbing system (…),” adds Erica Hartmann.

More than disruptive elements of the intimate environment, these viruses could then advance science. “We want to look at all the functions that these viruses could have and determine how we can use them,” says Erica Hartmann.

“We should accept them all”

According to the Northwestern University study and the conclusions made by Professor Erica Hartmann, imagining that one’s home is free of all microbes would be false. “Germs are everywhere, and the vast majority of them will not make us sick,” she explains.

Worse still, the microbiologist explains that the use of disinfectant cleaning products considered too corrosive could even contribute to human resistance to certain diseases. The “phage viruses” discovered on shower heads and toothbrushes and associated with “housekeeping” would therefore be an asset. “We should accept them all,” concludes Erica Hartmann.