Bacteria Are Beautiful

Abstract

As a microbiologist, I'm appalled when I go to buy soap or dishwashing detergent, because these days it's very hard to find anything that doesn't say "antibacterial" on it. This is disturbing for a couple of reasons. First, there's absolutely no evidence to suggest that these antibacterial versions in any way help to keep our homes cleaner and us safer from disease-in fact, there's some evidence to suggest these products contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance. And second, it distresses me to see the public given the perception that bacteria are bad and need to be eradicated.

Files

Additional details