A TikTok user has revealed the part of your body that is most infected with bacteria – and it’s not where you’d think.
After breathing into a petri dish, Chloe Fitzpatrick, a designer, found that her breath was full of the most microorganisms from the five areas she tested.
Her fingers were also host to numerous bacterial colonies, she found, but the Petri dishes touched by her toes, ribs and legs showed relatively little growth.
Chloe Fitzpatrick, a designer, discovered that her breath contained the most bacteria after testing five areas of her body
Her fingers contained the second highest amount of bacteria, likely related to how often they touch other objects
Scientists say a person’s mouth can harbor a significant number of bacteria, fungi and viruses, which would explain why Mrs. Fitzpatrick’s breath produced the germiest petri dishes.
The mouth is the second most infected area of the body and contains more than 20 billion bacteria, behind only the intestines.
Although it may seem disgusting, it’s completely normal to have these microorganisms in your mouth, scientists said, because they aid in digestion and help the immune system learn the difference between safe and dangerous bacteria.
But without good oral hygiene, they can cause a person to develop bad breath and dental problems.
If you don’t brush regularly, bacteria can multiply in the mouth, causing more build-up of substances that can cause bad breath.
For her experiment, Ms Fitzpatrick – who lives in Aberdeenshire, Scotland – touched five places on her body in separate petri dishes.
She then left the dishes in a warm place to grow for several days before viewing the results.
She posted the video to TikTok with the caption, “So many different colonies!! Ribs always have the nicest bacteria.’
Some users said that everyone should remember that ‘not all bacteria are bad!!!’
Other viewers, however, were less coy, saying the breath sample was “a bit concerning” and that they were “going to take ten showers.”
Dr. Priya Deo, an oral microbiologist at the Dental College and Hospital in Pune, India, and others have previously written in a study: ‘The mouth with its various niches is an exceptionally complex habitat where microbes attack the hard surfaces of the teeth and the soft surfaces colonize. tissues of the oral mucosa.
‘The oral microbiome is not only the starting point of digestion, but is also crucial for maintaining oral and whole-body health.’
Ms Fitzpatrick also tested her toes, which led to small amounts of bacterial growth
The underside of her calf was also tested, which yielded several bacterial colonies
She also pressed a petri dish into the area around her ribs, revealing small colonies of bacteria
Ms. Fitzpatrick says she is a designer who uses bacteria in her artistic work.
For her 2022 project ‘microbiome’, she grew bacteria from plants and parts of her body before preserving them in resin that could be worn as jewelry.
She said she chose the bacteria because of their yellow and red colors.
Her experiment comes after another citizen scientist revealed that shaking hands to dry them may be the most hygienic option.
To investigate whether hand dryers cover your hands with bacteria, a 33-year-old from Utah held petri dishes under the machines.
He tested machines in public restrooms, gas stations, movie theaters and stores in his local city of Provo.
After leaving the Petri dishes for three days, he discovered that the dishes were all full of bacteria and fungi, which appeared in white, yellow and black spots.
The dryer in the public bathroom appeared to be the most contaminated, he said.
He also found that waving a petri dish through the air to imitate someone shaking their hands dry stayed completely clean.