Bacterial wonderland in a lick of a cat
May 25, 2025 • 1:40 PM UTC
India
140x Magnification
Microorganisms
Manu Prakash
I am a faculty at Stanford and run the Prakash Lab at Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University. Foldscope community is at the heart of our Frugal Science movement - and I can not tell you how proud I am of this community and grassroots movement. Find our work here: http://prakashlab.stanford.edu
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Here is something I have been meaning to do for a while - is compare the saliva of a dog and a cat.. to see who lives in these wonderlands.
Now - I know many of you own pets.. and as all of us who love our cats and dogs - they come and lick us on our faces. Ever wondered what’s in it.. wait no more.
Here is what’s inside the lick of your cat.. here is cat saliva under a Foldscope. While at Tata institute of social sciences - we had an outdoor cat swing by and give a nice link on the slide.. see what we found for yourself. It’s the most beautiful collection of bacterial biodiversity I have ever seen in my life.
Now I really don’t know what the medical implications of this are! You all know that cats pass other diseases to humans (that’s why cat exposure during pregnancy should be limited). But the diversity of bacteria in a cats lick makes me wonder if I should let my cat lick my face again. You be the judge.
Keep exploring.
Manu
Now - I know many of you own pets.. and as all of us who love our cats and dogs - they come and lick us on our faces. Ever wondered what’s in it.. wait no more.
Here is what’s inside the lick of your cat.. here is cat saliva under a Foldscope. While at Tata institute of social sciences - we had an outdoor cat swing by and give a nice link on the slide.. see what we found for yourself. It’s the most beautiful collection of bacterial biodiversity I have ever seen in my life.
Now I really don’t know what the medical implications of this are! You all know that cats pass other diseases to humans (that’s why cat exposure during pregnancy should be limited). But the diversity of bacteria in a cats lick makes me wonder if I should let my cat lick my face again. You be the judge.
Keep exploring.
Manu
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