What’s Lurking On Your Toothbrush? Even Experts Aren’t Quite Sure.
The variety of viruses was beyond what researchers expected to find.
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Subscribe for free to get more stories like this directly to your inboxA seemingly endless assortment of bacteria exists everywhere on a microscopic level, but the bathroom is a particularly hospitable environment. That makes it an intriguing place for scientists to start exploring, and a team at Northwestern University did just that.
Operation Pottymouth
The researchers involved in this study were motivated by a desire to learn more about the assorted bacterial biomes that exist in and around ordinary homes. The research started out with a focus on toothbrushes, which inspired the study’s “Operation Pottymouth” nickname.
Lead researcher Erica Hartmann revealed that the variety of viruses on both toothbrushes and showerheads was far more diverse than anyone expected.
“Not only did we find different phage on toothbrushes and showerheads, we found different phage on each toothbrush and each showerhead,” she said. “This amount of diversity is huge, and it isn’t because of anything specific to toothbrushes or showerheads. There are just so many phage out there waiting to be discovered.”
With so much microscopic activity happening on your toothbrush, you might be concerned about safety. But the researchers determined that the viruses they commonly observed were completely harmless to humans.
The phage factor
It would be interesting enough if the study only led to discovering just how varied the bacterial biomes all around us actually are. But Hartmann says there are even more valuable lessons to be learned.
She said bacteriophage (or simply “phage”) represents the “next frontier of biology.” It refers broadly to viruses that infect bacteria and begin replicating.
“It could be that the next great antibiotic will be based on something that grew on your toothbrush,” Hartmann said. “Even if this doesn’t lead to some great new technology, it’s important to observe and record the diversity of phage because it expands our fundamental understanding of biology.”
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