PeerJ<\/a>.<\/p>\nThey reflect our microbiome – the trillions of different micro-organisms that live in and on our bodies.<\/p>\n
Mobile phone users have been found to touch their devices on average 150 times a day.<\/p>\n
Scientists have found an overlap between the collection of micro-organisms naturally present on our bodies and those on the screens of smartphones.<\/p>\n
They say this could one day be used to track people’s exposure to bacteria.<\/p>\n
In the study, biologists from the University of Oregon sequenced the DNA of microbes found on the index fingers and thumbs of 17 people.<\/p>\n
They also took swabs of the subjects’ smartphones.<\/p>\n
A total of 7,000 different types of bacteria were found in 51 samples.<\/p>\n
Proof-of-concept<\/strong><\/p>\nOn average, 22% of bacterial families overlapped on fingers and phones.<\/p>\n
Some 82% of the most common bacteria present on participants’ fingers were also found on their phones.<\/p>\n
They included three families that are commonly found on the skin or in the mouth –\u00a0Streptococcus<\/em>,\u00a0Staphylococcus<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Corynebacterium<\/em>.<\/p>\nMen and women both shared bacteria with their phones, but the connection was stronger in women.<\/p>\n
Lead researcher Dr James Meadow said while the sample size was small, the findings were “revealing”.<\/p>\n
“This project was a proof-of-concept to see if our favourite and most closely held possessions microbially resemble us,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We are ultimately interested in the possibility of using personal effects as a non-invasive way to monitor our health and our contact with the surrounding environment.”<\/p>\n
The researchers say there is no evidence that mobile phones present any more infection risk than any other possession.<\/p>\n
But they say our phones might one day be used to study whether people have been exposed to certain bacteria, particularly healthcare workers.<\/p>\n
Emotional connection<\/strong><\/p>\nThe study confirms that “we share more than an emotional connection with our phones – they carry our personal microbiome”, Dr Meadow added.<\/p>\n
There is increasing scientific interest in the human microbiome – the population of trillions of micro-organisms that live in our gut, mouth, skin and elsewhere on our bodies.<\/p>\n
Bacteria can be harmful but they can also have beneficial effects, particularly in the gut, by digesting food and making essential nutrients and vitamins.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Smartphones reflect the personal microbial world of their owners, say US scientists. More than 80% of the common bacteria that make up our personal bacterial “fingerprints” end up on their screens, a study suggests. Personal possessions, such as phones, might be useful for tracking the spread of bacteria, they report in\u00a0PeerJ. They reflect our microbiome […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":27455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[15],"yoast_head":"\n
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