Microbiological Analysis of Consecutively used Face Masks during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

It is unanimously approved that face mask greatly supports reducing COVID-19 transmission. And it is still an important tool for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. However the utilization and handling of face masks are not so easy. Under this study, we set up an innovative way to investigate the microbial qual¬ity of the consecutively used face mask. People in Bangladesh use the same face mask several times, even for days to months. So the possibility of contaminating these masks with different microbes is so high. The frequency of using the same masks multiple times is higher in cloth masks than in surgical masks. The mi-crobial load was also significantly (P-value 0.0369) higher in cloth face masks than in surgical masks. The mean TVC of surgical masks was 9.92×103 CFU/inch2 and TCC was 5.38×103 CFU/inch2, while the mean TVC and TCC in cloth masks were 1.76×104 and 9.82×103 CFU/inch2, respectively. E. coli, Pseudomonas spp., and Proteus spp. bacterial isolates were assured by standard biochemical tests. Moreoever, enteropath¬ogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) was confirmed by PCR targeting the bfpA gene (300bps). Bacterial isolates were resistant to different commercial antibiotics; E. coli resistant to Vancomycin (80%), Ampicillin (80%); Pseudomonas spp. resistant to Ampicillin (100%), Chloramphenicol (86.67%), and Vancomycin (80%); and Proteus spp. resistant to Miconazole (93.3%), Vancomycin (66.67%), respectively. Face masks protect against coronavirus, but pathogenic microbes contaminated masks may cause health hazards. So we should use face masks properly, keeping them sterile by using disinfectant or washing them properly for consec¬utive use.