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According to researchers, our sinks are full of dangerous fungi capable of causing serious infections. Our advice to protect against it.
Sink holes are veritable breeding grounds for germs. What we did not know, however, is that the mushrooms that hide there can be particularly dangerous for fragile people. This is at least what emerges from a new study, published in the journal Environmental DNA.
375 genera of mushrooms identified!
As part of this study, researchers from the University of Reading and the British Center for Ecology and Hydrology tried to assess the dangerousness of our sinks.
To do this, they extracted and then screened samples of sink drains located in about twenty buildings of their University. As a result, 375 genera of fungi have been identified.
The types of fungi that live in sinks can tolerate high temperatures, low (acidic) pH, and low nutrient content. Some will even use detergents, found in soap, as a source of carbon-rich foods.
No difference was observed between men’s and women’s sinks. In fact, the 250 sinks tested all had a very similar fungus population.
Some can cause pneumonia or sepsis
In particular, scientists have detected fungi “Exophiala“, causing simple skin infections but also, in rare cases, fatal systemic infections.
Other even more disturbing mushrooms, such as the Fusarium, were also detected. This has the particularity of “attacking” fragile organisms – such as those of immunocompromised people.
Fusarium can thus contribute to the development of neutropenia (an abnormally low level in the blood of a type of white blood cells) which can lead to pneumonia or sepsis.
Therefore, regular cleaning of sinks (bathroom, kitchen, toilet) must be carried out.
A potential risk for the most vulnerable
Dr Gweon, lead author of the study, said: “Although these findings do not present a health concern in the environment we find ourselves in, but in a hospital or nursing home, with many immunocompromised people, this finding could pose a serious health risk (.. .) We would like to see cleaning protocols developed that can address colonization of sinks and traps, especially in environments where many people are required to use only one sink“.