America
Beware! Your toothbrush may transmit diseases
New York, June 3
If you are using a 'shared'
bathroom, be careful about where and how you store your toothbrush.
Researchers have found that toothbrushes can serve as a vector for
transmission of potentially pathogenic organisms.
The researchers found evidence of transmission of fecal coliform bacteria in communal bathrooms.
"The
main concern is not with the presence of your own fecal matter on your
toothbrush, but rather when a toothbrush is contaminated with fecal
matter from someone else, which contains bacteria, viruses or parasites
that are not part of your normal flora," said Lauren Aber from
Quinnipiac University in the US.
For the study, all toothbrushes
were collected from participants using communal bathrooms, with an
average of 9.4 occupants per bathroom in Quinnipiac University.
At least 60 percent of the toothbrushes were found to be contaminated with fecal coliforms.
"Using
a toothbrush cover does not protect a toothbrush from bacterial growth,
but actually creates an environment where bacteria are better suited to
grow by keeping the bristles moist and not allowing the head of the
toothbrush to dry out between uses," Aber said.
"Better hygiene
practices are recommended for students, who share bathrooms both in the
storage of their toothbrush but also in personal hygiene," Aber added.
Toothbrushes
are a known source of contamination. Scientists have suspected since
the 1920s that the re-use of toothbrushes could be a possible source of
infection in the oral cavity.
There are several potential sources
of contamination of one's toothbrush -- toothbrushes stored open in the
bathroom are especially vulnerable to contamination with material from
the toilet or contamination from other occupants.
This research was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans, Louisiana.