The screens of smartphonesare an open window on the world, with access to unlimited Internet sites. But to this wonderful world is added another less delicious: a colony of bacteria unsuspected. Screens that are touched an average of 150 times in a day (!) May well become useful tools for tracking people’s exposure to bacteria.
Biologists at the University of Oregon in the United States have found that cellphones perfectly reflect our microbiome, the collection of microorganisms that live on our bodies and inside our bodies. The researchers observed a perfect match between the bacteria of smartphones and those of users. To do this, they sequenced the DNA of microbes collected from the fingers and thumbs of 17 people. Samples were also taken from participants’ smartphones.
In all, 7,000 different types of bacteria were identified from 51 samples, including streptococci, staphylococci and Corynebacterium (pathogenic bacteria responsible for diphtheria). 82% of bacteria present on fingers were also found on laptop screens.
A bacteriological control tool
“We share more than an emotional connection with our cellphones. We also carry our microbiome,” study author Dr. Meadow told the BBC. Biologists believe the cellphone may be a way to assess a person’s exposure to pathogenic bacteria. We could thus “use personal effects as a non-invasive way to control our health and our contact with the surrounding environment”.
