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In fact, we take a shower because we feel so clean and hygienic. Of course, the result may be quite the opposite: scientists have discovered that this bacterium could be transferred from the showerhead.
Sick in the shower? What researchers at the University of Colorado have discovered in a study is really scary: shower heads can harbor dormant or even deadly bacteria that are transmitted to the body by water.
"It's important to understand how mycobacteria spread, especially at home," says author of the study, Matt Gebert.
Most samples were harmless
The good news first: most of the samples in the study contained only harmless microbes.
As the author of the study, Noah Fierer, explained, there were also alarming isolated cases. An example is the bacterium of the genus Mycobacterium, which could be responsible for tuberculosis and leprosy, among others.
In total, researchers found nearly 200 species of bacteria in the DNA badysis of 656 biofilm samples from domestic showers in the United States and Europe.
To find bacteria especially in the United States
It was striking that mycobacteria were relatively more common in American showers than in European showers.
The reason behind this could be different chemical compositions in water purification, according to experts.
In the United States, for example, chlorine is used – a means against which bacteria can easily form resistance.
However, there were also many more samples from the United States (606) than from Europe (50).
Less contaminated plastic shower
Another consequence of the study is that metal showerheads are more loaded with microbes than plastic showerheads.
As the researchers suggest, the presence of chemicals in plastics can prevent bacteria from multiplying.
In subsequent research, scientists want to find the exact reasons for their results.
Judith Kerstgens
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