Microbiological contamination in surgical masks used by students in an emergency hospital: cross-sectional study

Bertine Mota Malta Brandão Nunes; Daniel Ferreira Wanderlei; Maria Anilda dos Santos Araújo; Glória Maria de França

doi:10.1590/SciELOPreprints.17367

##article.authors##

Bertine Mota Malta Brandão Nunes Centro Universitário Cesmac https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4746-9247
- Conceptualization
- Data Curation
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
- Writing – Review & Editing
Daniel Ferreira Wanderlei Centro Universitário Cesmac https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3657-959X
- Funding Acquisition
- Methodology
- Resources
- Project Administration
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
- Writing – Review & Editing
- Conceptualization
Maria Anilda dos Santos Araújo Centro Universitário Cesmac https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9833-4265
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
- Writing – Review & Editing
- Conceptualization
Glória Maria de França Centro Universitário Cesmac https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0483-6601
- Software
- Supervision
- Validation
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
- Writing – Review & Editing
- Conceptualization

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/SciELOPreprints.17367

Keywords:

Microbiology, masks, students, drug resistance, bacterial, Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Introduction: The increasing antimicrobial resistance in hospital settings constitutes one of the threats to global public health. The improper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as face masks, can facilitate cross-contamination and the spread of pathogens. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological contamination of masks used by health area students at the Alagoas Emergency Hospital, identifying the microorganisms present and analyzing their antimicrobial resistance profile. Material and method: A cross-sectional and microbiological study with a descriptive and analytical approach was conducted. Masks used by medical and dental students during hospital internships were collected and subsequently subjected to microbiological culture according to the criteria of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI M100, 2024-2025) and BrCAST. Result: The presence of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis was identified in the samples, indicating significant contamination. The antibiogram revealed resistance to erythromycin, oxacillin, and clindamycin in some isolated strains. Furthermore, the sample showed resistance to methicillin and that the bacterial load is inversely proportional to the efficacy of amikacin (p = 0.034; r = -0.327). Conclusion: The masks used by students in hospital settings can act as vehicles for microbial contamination, and to reduce risks, students need prior training before entering the hospital environment.