The University of Antwerp UAntwerpen is going to investigate which bacteria live in the sink of Antwerp kitchens. For their “POEMBAKterie” study, they are looking for Antwerpians, who want to take samples from their own sink at home. The researchers want to map out how many good and bad bacteria live in the sink, often called a ‘poembak’ in the Antwerp dialect, and find out how they get there.
‘Feel free to call the “sink” the heart of the house,’ says PhD researcher Enya Arconada Nuin of UAntwerpen’s Medical Microbiology Laboratory. ‘Everything ends up in the sink: food scraps, cleaning products, potting soil, pet fur... As a result, it really is a hotspot for bacteria.’
Up to 8,000 different types of bacteria live in an average home. Yet scientists still know almost nothing about how many and which bacteria live in the sink.
‘We are asking all Antwerpians to help map that out,’ the researcher says. Participants will receive 2 cotton wool swabs, with which they can take their own sample of genetic material from their sink," says Arconada Nuin.
'Together with a questionnaire we have them fill in, we will analyse all the swabs in our lab. The aim is to uncover patterns in the results: which bacteria occurs where and why?'
Good bacteria and bad
The researchers expect to find both good and bad bacteria in Antwerp sinks. 'Bad bacteria are species that cause musty smells in the sink. But we might also find harmful bacteria that can make us sick.'
Research on bacteria in hospital sinks is already happening. Persistent hospital bacteria in sinks and drains have on several occasions caused outbreaks of disease.
"In a domestic context, people don't normally get sick from their surroundings so easily. That’s why kitchen sinks have never been thoroughly examined for bacteria," says Arconada Nuin.
Although, according to the microbiologist, this does not mean we need to fear all the bacteria in our sink. "Some good bacteria even crowd out the bad kinds. Not only in our bodies, but also in the sink."
People taking part in the study will receive an analysis of the results afterwards. 'If there are bacteria that are potentially dangerous, we can take steps to reduce health risks. And you never know, there might be an undiscovered species living in your sink.'
The researchers stress that personal results will not be shared with others and will be made anonymous in scientific articles. You can register via the website poembakterie.be .