Do you wonder how many microorganisms are in your household dust?

If you have a cleansing craze - and you almost have a wobble when you run your finger over a surface and realize it's dusty - you won't like anything we have to tell! According to Mary Jo DiLonardo of Mother Nature Network, a recent study revealed that there are thousands of microorganisms in the dust found in ordinary homes.

According to Mary, a team of researchers analyzed dust samples collected from 1, 200 US homes, finding that on average they contained 2, 000 varieties of fungi and 7, 000 different types of bacteria.

In total, scientists have identified over 80, 000 bacterial types and 40, 000 fungal species - meaning that there are 10 times more microorganisms throwing our dust in our homes than mammals and birds on the planet!

Dividing the space

The researchers explained that the amounts and types of bacteria and fungi may vary depending on the region of the country and with whom residents share their homes. After all, these microorganisms do not “sprout” out of nowhere, but enter the homes of rides in our clothes and through doors and windows.

Thus, those who live in a mountain region share the space with a different population of microorganisms from those who live on the beach or near forest regions. In addition, people living in houses and the presence of animals can also dramatically affect the variety of bacteria and fungi that are in place.

As BBC's Rebecca Morelle explained, the researchers found that female-only households have different bacteria than men-only ones, for example. Moreover, the analyzes indicated that the pets are the ones that most impact the diversity of microorganisms of the houses.

However, if you live with your father, mother, aunt, grandfather, brother, cat, dog ... you don't need to panic! Remember that microbes are everywhere - in your body alone there are 100 trillion bacteria, not to mention that you harbor a true navel ecosystem! - and the vast majority of them are completely harmless to humans.

* Posted on 09/03/2015