These articles may be of interest:
The Atlantic:
The Bacteria Lurking in American Showerheads
The water that flows through your home is teeming with microbial life. Trying to kill it off likely does more harm than good.
NPR:
Dangerous Infection Tied To Hospitals Now Becoming Common Outside Them (C. diff.)
Diet strongly influences the microbiome and could be an element, she says. A recent study found that trehalose, a common food additive, markedly enhances the virulence of C. diff, although Guh cautions that there have been difficulties replicating the findings.
Guh thinks some common medications could be involved, too. Popular drugs for heartburn that suppress acid in the stomach are associated with C. diff infections, and have been shown to disrupt the microbiome.
--Lance
