ArticleScientific reports2022
Bacterial and fungal isolation from face masks under the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in Scientific reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Physio-metabolic and clinical consequences of wearing face masks-Systematic review with meta-analysis and comprehensive evaluation.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of Mask Reuse on the Oropharyngeal, Skin, and Mask Microbiome.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2023Trial
- Risks and benefits of face masks in children.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- Factors influencing bacterial viability on face masks and bactericidal effect of disinfection methods.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Assessing the behavior of food handlers wearing face masks and the passage of bacteria through disposable masks.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2025Article
- Evaluation of the penetration capacity of bacteria through layers of different face mask types and wearing conditions.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Facemask acne attenuation through modulation of indirect microbiome interactions.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2024Article
- Nanogallium-poly(L-lactide) Composites with Contact Antibacterial Action.Pharmaceutics · 2024Article
- The bacterial burden of worn face masks-observational research and literature review.Frontiers in public health · 2024Review
- Volatile sulfide compounds and oral microorganisms on the inner surface of masks in individuals with halitosis during COVID-19 pandemic.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Medical Face Masks Do Not Affect Acid-Base Balance Yet Might Facilitate the Transmission ofInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Oral microbiome of the inner surface of face masks and whole saliva during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in oral health · 2023Article
- Prolonged Use of Surgical Masks and Respirators Affects the Protection and Comfort for Healthcare Workers.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Conceptual Design of the "Private Car" Self-Isolation Ecosystem for the 2019-nCoV Infection.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Lessons from the health policies for children during the pandemic in Japan.Frontiers in public health · 2022Review
- Viral infectious diseases severity: co-presence of transcriptionally active microbes (TAMs) can play an integral role for disease severity.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Review
- Assessment of Fungal Contamination in Used Masks of HealthCare Workers-Implication for Better Mask Hygiene Practices in Hospital Settings.Indian journal of occupational and environmental medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
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.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.