Microbiome of Clothing Items Worn for a Single Day in a Non-Healthcare Setting

Abstract

When worn, clothing acquires a microbiome of bacteria and fungi derived from the wearer’s skin and from the environment. The types of bacteria and fungi that may be recovered from clothing in healthcare settings have been well characterized, but less is known regarding the microbiome of clothing worn in non-healthcare settings and the possible roles that such clothing may play in microbial exchange. Culture-based methods and culture-independent genomic sequencing were used to enumerate and identify bacteria and fungi recovered from T-shirts, baby onesies, socks, and underwear worn for a single day after having been purchased new, washed, and dried. The highest bacterial loads were recovered from socks, underwear, and onesies (>106 colony-forming units [cfu]/sample) and the highest fungal loads were obtained from socks and underwear (>5 × 102 cfu/sample). The sequencing method identified opportunistic pathogens present in the samples, including members of genus Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium, as well as anaerobic members of the family Clostridiales. The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida parapsilosis was identified in a high proportion of worn clothing samples. These results suggest that clothing may represent a pathogen reservoir and a vector for microbial exchange between household occupants or the community outside of the home.