Restrooms are Not So Unhealthy as You Think

In a sterilized restroom, microbial succession initiates with bacteria from the gut and the vagina and this is followed by microbes from the skin. Restrooms are dominated by a stable community structure of skin and outdoor associated bacteria, with few pathogenic bacteria making them similar to other built environments such as your home. The research is published ahead of print in iApplied and Environmental Microbiology/i. In the study, the investigators characterized ...