Toothbrush-Harbored Viruses Unveil Unprecedented Variety Never Witnessed Previously
In the uncharted realms of our bathrooms, a vibrant, unknown world teems with life - microscopic viruses to be exact. Researchers from Northwestern dug into these hidden communities, swabbing toothbrushes and showerheads, uncovering a staggering array of hundreds of viruses, many previously undiscovered. These viruses, dubbed bacteriophages, thankfully pose no threat to humans.
The intriguing world of microbes, teeming with bacteria, viruses, and other minute life forms, can offer valuable insights. While most microbes are harmless to humans, they can provide valuable lessons about their surroundings and might even have practical applications, such as helping us combat harmful germs. Hence, scientists are always keen to explore previously unknown microbial communities, also known as microbiomes.
"Toothbrushes and showerheads house phage unlike anything we've seen before," lead researcher Erica Hartmann, a microbiologist and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering, shared with Gizmodo. Their findings were recently published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiomes, expanding on their earlier project, cleverly named Operation Pottymouth.
Hartmann and her team initially aimed to study the unexplored bacterial microbiomes in our homes, with toothbrushes and showerheads serving as an important source of microbes that we come into contact with but remain oblivious of their inhabitants and influencing factors. Their initial studies revealed a wealth of bacteria, an exciting discovery in itself. But the researchers' curiosity soon extended to bacteriophages, a group of viruses that infect bacteria.
In their new study, the team discovered an incredible variety of phage in their samples, totalling over 600 viruses. No discernible patterns emerged among the viruses they found, but phage that infect mycobacteria, some of which cause serious human diseases such as leprosy and tuberculosis, tended to be more common.
"Toothbrushes and showerheads harbor phage unlike anything we've seen before," Hartmann explained. "Not only did we find different phage on toothbrushes and showerheads, we found different phage on each toothbrush and each showerhead." This diversity is astounding, and it's not specific to toothbrushes or showerheads; there are just so many phage waiting to be discovered.
Bacteriophages are typically harmful to bacteria, not humans. However, we're starting to explore and employ them as treatments for bacterial infections, particularly those that have become resistant to antibiotics. So it's plausible that the phage or other microbes discovered by Hartmann and her team in our bathrooms might have medical utility. But even the discovery itself holds significance, as Hartmann emphasizes.
"It's possible that the next great antibiotic will be based on something that grew on your toothbrush. 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," she says.
With our knowledge of phage and other microbes still in its infancy, the researchers plan to continue probing various environments, both familiar and exotic, to better understand these mysterious creatures and potentially lead to groundbreaking discoveries and innovations for the betterment of human and environmental health.
- The future of healthcare might involve using bacteriophages discovered in unexpected places, like toothbrushes and showerheads, as treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
- The study of microbiomes, including various viruses such as phages, in previously unknown environments could offer invaluable insights and practical applications, particularly in the field of science and technology.
- Scientists are continuously publishing their findings on microbiomes, including a recent study by Erica Hartmann and her team in the journal Frontiers in Microbiomes, revealing the presence of a diverse array of phages on bathroom fixtures like toothbrushes and showerheads.
- The discoveries of vastly different phage species in bathroom microbiomes, some of which infect mycobacteria linked to serious human diseases like leprosy and tuberculosis, reinforce the need for further study and exploration of these microscopic organisms in the future.
