Research from Kindai University, Osaka, Japan tested commonly worn face masks and isolated several pathogenic bacteria and fungi from them.
The study was peer-reviewed and published in Nature on July 18, 2022
The investigation involved 109 participants who wore three types of masks. The majority (78%) wore the non-woven mask, the typical blue mask worn in hospitals, and 22% used the non-woven mask (gauze and polyurethane.)
Both sides of the false mask were cultured. The face and outer side.
Culture results
99% of the samples grew bacteria on the face and 94% on the outer sides.
More bacteria were cultured from the face side, but more fungi were isolated from the outer side. The fungal colony counts in each individual were 2.4-times higher on the outer side than on the face side.
When the participants used the same masks for more than two days, the fungal colony counts were increased on the outer side of the masks compared with the one-day usage.
The authors explained that the bacteria thrive in humidity. Once the masks were removed for the night, the masks dry, and the bacterial content decreased.
However, fungi do not rely on humidity as much as bacteria. Thus, the decrease in moisture does not affect their number.
The average colony counts were 13.4-times higher on the face-side of masks. Interestingly, they found no significant differences in the colony counts among the different mask types, regardless of the duration of usage (one day (3–6 hours), two days, and longer).
Bacteria
There were several disease-causing bacteria in humans that were isolated:
- Staphylococcus aureus is commonly found in humans, but its overgrowth can cause various diseases)
- Bacillus cereus is an intestinal bacterium that may cause food poisoning
- Staphylococcus saprophyticus causes urinary tract infection. Less commonly, it is responsible for complications including acute pyelonephritis, urethritis, epididymitis, and prostatitis.
- Pseudomonas luteola can be opportunistic, which means that typically it does not cause disease. Still, when the host’s immune system gets weak, it can cause diseases like septicemia, endocarditis, meningitis, peritonitis, or skin ulcer infections.
- Staphylococcus Epidermidis is usually found in the skin. However, it can cause infectious endocarditis, infection of cardiac devices, and prosthetic joints.
Fungi
They found thirteen fungal genera. Among them, more than 20% of the participants had the four fungal genera, namely Cladosporium, Fonsecaea, Mucor, and Trichophyton, in common on both sides of the masks.
Fonsecaea is one of the causative agents of the post-traumatic, chronic infection of subcutaneous tissues known as chromoblastomycosis.
Mucor can cause mucormycosis in mucormycosis in immune-compromised people, including those with diabetes mellitus, hematological malignancies such as leukemia or lymphoma, and solid organ tumors.
Trichophyton is present in fungal infections, including athlete’s foot, ringworm, jock itch, and similar nail, beard, skin, and scalp infections.
Can lifestyle affect the microbial colonies?
Transportation
There were no differences in the bacterial or fungal colony count on both sides of the masks whether the participants used public transportation, including trains and buses; private vehicles such as cars and trucks; and walking, bicycles, and motorbikes.
Gargling
Can gargling with a mouthwash lower the microbial content in masks? 67% of the participants gargled at least once daily and usually when returning home.
However, there were no differences in the bacterial or fungal colony counts among the participants, whether they gargled or not.
Eating habit
Natto is a traditional Japanese food made by fermenting soybeans with the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus subtilis. The participants who ate natto had a significantly higher incidence of large white B. subtilis colonies on both sides of the masks than those who did not.
Makeup
Does wearing makeup influence the microbial count on face masks?
Women who only wear masks for one day are the only group with significantly lower bacterial colony counts.
Do masks work in preventing viral infections?
In their paper, the authors showed the sizes of the microbes and the pores of the masks.
Below are the different sizes of the microbes. A virus is only 0.02-0.2 micrometer (μm).
The virus size is much smaller than the pore size of the non-woven mask, which is 5-150 μm, polyurethane at 100-400 μm, and the gauze at 200 x 450 μm.
Masks do not prevent viral infections! The five μm pore size of the non-woven mask is 25 times bigger than a 0.2 μm virus! Masks are worn in the hospital to prevent the saliva of the health workers from landing on patients.
Based on poor sizes, aerosols, droplets, and bacteria can pass thru the woven polyurethane and gauze masks.
The microbial colonies could be different in other places
The microbial colonies could be different if the study is performed elsewhere. Climate, people’s microbiomes, and food preferences differ from each other. What will be consistent is the presence of more fungi outside the mask and staph epidermidis on the face side.
Parting thoughts
Do I wear a mask? Only socially. I oblige if I’m invited to an indoor gathering, and the host wears a mask. That’s because I come to socialize and not to debate. People have made up their minds by this time. However, I will let them know the science if they ask for my opinion.
If the event is outdoors, then I don’t wear a mask. If I’m the host, I don’t, but I don’t lecture my mask-wearing guests on what to do. If you still prefer to wear masks, change them daily.
Are you concerned about the B.4 and B.5 SARS-CoV-2 variants with a very low mortality rate? Read How to prepare for the inevitable COVID-19 reinfection.
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Reference: Park, AM., Khadka, S., Sato, F. et al. Bacterial and fungal isolation from face masks under the COVID-19 pandemic. Sci Rep12, 11361 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15409-x
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