6 years ago
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Your kitchen sponge harbors zillions of microbes. Cleaning it could make things worse
That sponge in your kitchen sink harbors zillions of microbes, including close relatives of the bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis, according to a new study. One of the microbes, Moraxella osloensis, can cause infections in people with a weak immune system and is also known for making laundry stink, possibly explaining your sponge’s funky odor. Researchers made the discovery by sequencing the microbial DNA of 14 used kitchen sponges, they report this month in Scientific Reports.
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https://www.sciencemag.org
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It's amazing we aren't all dead!
And here I thought I was being smart by zapping the stinky kitchen sponge in the microwave. Turns out I'm just making the bacteria stronger!