ArticleOman medical journal2014
Microbial Contamination on Used Surgical Masks among Hospital Personnel and Microbial Air Quality in their Working Wards: A Hospital in Bangkok.
Article in Oman medical journal, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed.
- Risks and benefits of face masks in children.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- Impact of nonpharmaceutical interventions on inflammatory diseases of the nose.Annals of medicine · 2025Article
- Contamination of Dental Surgical Masks by Aerosols Generated During Different Dental Treatments.Oral health & preventive dentistry · 2024Article
- The bacterial burden of worn face masks-observational research and literature review.Frontiers in public health · 2024Review
- The presence of COVID-19 face masks in the largest hypersaline lagoon of South America is predicted by urbanization level.Marine pollution bulletin · 2023Article
- Indoor air bacterial load and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of isolates at Adare General Hospital in Hawassa, Ethiopia.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Bacterial contamination on used face masks among nursing home healthcare personnel.Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE · 2023Article
- Unraveling the potential human health risks from used disposable face mask-derived micro/nanoplastics during the COVID-19 pandemic scenario: A critical review.Environment international · 2022Review
- Single-Side Superhydrophobicity in SiPolymers · 2022Article
- Liquid-Immersion Reprocessing Effects on Filtration Efficiency of 'Single-Use' Commercial Medical Face Masks.Annals of work exposures and health · 2022Article
- Reuse of medical face masks in domestic and community settings without sacrificing safety: Ecological and economical lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic.Chemosphere · 2022Article
- Implications of COVID-19 pandemic on environmental compartments: Is plastic pollution a major issue?Journal of hazardous materials advances · 2022Review
- Multifunctional filter membrane for face mask using bacterial cellulose for highly efficient particulate matter removal.Cellulose (London, England) · 2022Article
- CHX and a Face Shield Cannot Prevent Contamination of Surgical Masks.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
- Effect of five decontamination methods on face masks and filtering facepiece respirators contaminated withAccess microbiology · 2022Article
- Data on antibiotic resistance among indoor microbiome at Meerut, India.Bioinformation · 2022Article
- An urgent call to think globally and act locally on landfill disposable plastics under and after covid-19 pandemic: Pollution prevention and technological (Bio) remediation solutions.Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) · 2021Article
- Risks of Covid-19 face masks to wildlife: Present and future research needs.The Science of the total environment · 2021Review
- Is a Mask That Covers the Mouth and Nose Free from Undesirable Side Effects in Everyday Use and Free of Potential Hazards?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Is safeguard compromised? Surgical mouth mask harboring hazardous microorganisms in dental practice.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo assess the relationship of bacterial and fungal contamination on used surgical masks worn by the hospital personnel and microbial air quality in their working wards.
methodsThis is a cross-sectional study of 230 used surgical masks collected from 214 hospital personnel, and 215 indoor air samples collected from their working wards to culture for bacterial and fungal counts. This study was carried out at the hospital in Bangkok. Group or genus of isolated bacteria and fungi were preliminarily identified by Gram's stain and lacto-phenol cotton blue. Data were analyzed using paired t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient at the significant level of p<0.050.
resultsMeans and standard deviation of bacterial and fungal contamination on inside area of the used masks were 47 ± 56 and 15 ± 9 cfu/ml/piece, and on outside area were 166 ± 199 and 34 ± 18 cfu/ml/piece, respectively, p<0.001. The bacterial and fungal contamination on used masks from hospital personnel working in the male and female medical wards and out-patient department, as well as the bacterial and fungal counts of the indoor air sample collected from the same area were relatively higher than the other wards. The predominant isolated bacteria and fungi contaminated on inside and outside areas of the used masks and air samples were similar (Staphylococcus spp. and Aspergillus spp.; respectively). For its relationship, results found that bacterial and fungal counts in air samples showed significantly positive correlation with the bacterial contamination load on outside area of the used masks, r=0.16, p=0.018 and r=0.21, p=0.003, respectively.
conclusionHigh bacterial contamination on outside area of the used masks was demonstrated, and it showed a significant correlation with microbial air quality of working wards.
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