Share a Loo? Your Toothbrush may be Contaminated With Faeces

There is transmission of faecal coliform in shared bathrooms and toothbrushes definitely can serve as a vector.

In shared washroom, there is a 60 per cent of toothbrush contamination (Photo: iStock)

If you are using a shared wash room, there is a 60% chance your toothbrush is covered in faecal matter from someone else, a new study suggests.

Data confirms that there is transmission of faecal coliforms in shared bathrooms and that toothbrushes can serve as a vector for transmission of potentially pathogenic organisms, researchers said.

The main concern is not with the presence of your own faecal matter on your toothbrush, but rather when a toothbrush is contaminated with faecal matter from someone else, which contains bacteria, viruses or parasites that are not part of your normal flora
— Lauren Aber, graduate student at the Quinnipiac University in US.

Potential micro-organisms that can be introduced are enteric bacteria and pseudomonads. Enteric bacteria are a family of bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, they are known to be normal flora found in the gut.

For the research, toothbrushes were collected from participants using communal bathrooms, with an average of 9.4 occupants per bathroom.