Department of Microbiology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohnohigashi, Osakasayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2022 Jul 18;12(1):11361. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-15409-x.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led people to wear face masks daily in public. Although the effectiveness of face masks against viral transmission has been extensively studied, there have been few reports on potential hygiene issues due to bacteria and fungi attached to the face masks. We aimed to (1) quantify and identify the bacteria and fungi attaching to the masks, and (2) investigate whether the mask-attached microbes could be associated with the types and usage of the masks and individual lifestyles. We surveyed 109 volunteers on their mask usage and lifestyles, and cultured bacteria and fungi from either the face-side or outer-side of their masks. The bacterial colony numbers were greater on the face-side than the outer-side; the fungal colony numbers were fewer on the face-side than the outer-side. A longer mask usage significantly increased the fungal colony numbers but not the bacterial colony numbers. Although most identified microbes were non-pathogenic in humans; Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Cladosporium, we found several pathogenic microbes; Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Aspergillus, and Microsporum. We also found no associations of mask-attached microbes with the transportation methods or gargling. We propose that immunocompromised people should avoid repeated use of masks to prevent microbial infection.
新冠疫情大流行期间，人们在公共场合日常佩戴口罩。尽管人们广泛研究了口罩在阻止病毒传播方面的有效性，但关于附着在口罩上的细菌和真菌可能引发的卫生问题的报告却很少。我们旨在：(1) 量化并鉴定附着在口罩上的细菌和真菌；(2) 调查口罩附着的微生物是否与口罩类型和使用情况以及个体生活方式有关。我们调查了 109 名志愿者的口罩使用情况和生活方式，并从他们口罩的内侧面或外侧面培养细菌和真菌。细菌的菌落数量在内侧面大于外侧面；真菌的菌落数量在外侧面大于内侧面。口罩使用时间较长会显著增加真菌的菌落数量，但不会增加细菌的菌落数量。虽然大多数鉴定出的微生物对人类无致病性，但我们发现了几种致病性微生物，包括表皮葡萄球菌、金黄色葡萄球菌和枝孢菌。我们还发现口罩附着的微生物与交通方式或漱口无关。我们建议免疫功能低下的人群避免重复使用口罩，以防止微生物感染。
