The Number Of Viruses Hanging Out On Toothbrushes Is Truly Alarming
There are some things in our homes that we have to believe are clean.
You know, for our own sanity.
Unfortunately for all of us, this recent study on people’s toothbrushes is not going to reveal anything that any of us want to hear.
But don’t give up, because there might be a bit of a silver lining at the end.
Scientists took a look at people’s toothbrushes and found six hundred distinct viruses just hanging out.
Silver lining? Most of them aren’t the bad sort of bug.
Erica Hartmann is a microbiologist and lead author of the study, and says that she and her fellow researchers were shocked by the amount of bacteria-eating viruses (called bacteriophages) hanging out on everyday objects.
“There is so much about the world around us that we don’t understand – including the things that may seem familiar. We started out looking at things like toothbrushes and shower heads because they are important sources of microbes that we’re exposed to, but we don’t know which microbes they carry or what factors influence them.”
This study was an update to a 2021 project known as “Operation Pottymouth,” which involved checking into the sources of bacteria found on toothbrushes.
The diverse viruses were mostly phages, a type of virus that kills illness-causing mycobacteria.
“Toothbrushes and shower heads harbor phage that are unlike anything we’ve seen before. Not only did we find different phage on toothbrushes and shower heads, we found different phage on each toothbrush and each shower head.”
Phages have recently been used as treatments for bacterial infections, especially those that have become resistant to antibiotics over time.
“It could be that the next great antibiotic will be based on something that grew on your toothbrush.”
So…it sounds a little unappetizing, but the majority of the viruses on your toothbrush and in your shower are there to help.
Happy brushing!
If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about a quantum computer simulation that has “reversed time” and physics may never be the same.

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