907: Bacteriophages Lurk In Your Bathroom, But Don’t Worry
It sounds like something from an advertisement for bathroom cleaner: Researchers found over 600 different viruses, most of which are new to science, in samples taken from showerheads and toothbrushes. The viruses, however, are unlikely to affect humans. They are bacteriophages, a type of virus that preys on bacteria. The expedition into bathroom biodiversity was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiomes. Around a hundred years ago in the former Soviet Union, there were major efforts to develop bacteriophages for medical use. The approach really didn’t catch on in Western…
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