A study on the fungi isolated from the carpeting, walls and prayer beads from the New Mosque and Nuruosmaniye Mosque situated in the province of Istanbul

Microorganism diversity and contamination risk in mosque rosaries and carpets

BACKGROUND

Inevitably, the floors of mosques are contaminated with microorganisms, and the risk of pathogen transmission is probably high between the many visitors, but the issue has been infrequently studied.

OBJECTIVES

Investigate microorganism variety and risk of contamination on commonly used carpets and rosaries (prayer beads).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTINGS

Mosques.

METHODS

This study was carried out in three different cities of Turkey in 2023, focusing on mosques located around hospitals. Forty mosques were included in the study and from each mosque 10 samples were collected from various parts of carpets and rosaries. The number of positive culture isolates were identified.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Diversity and distribution of microorganisms isolated from mosque carpets and rosaries; methicillin-resistance rates in Staphylococci.

SAMPLE SIZE

400 samples.

RESULTS

Growth was observed in 368 (92%) of 400 samples examined. The microorganisms isolated in the highest number were methicillin-susceptible coagulase negative Staphylococci (MSCoNS) (59.8%), Microcooccus (41%) and diphtheroids (31.3%). The rates of total growth (P=.001), including diphtheroids (P=.018), methicillin-resistant coagulase negative Staphylococci (P=.001), Bacillus spp. (P=.036) and Aspergillus spp. (P=.002) rates were significantly higher in the rosary samples than carpet samples. At mosques in Tokat, a province center, 4 samples were positive for Acinetobacter baumannii, two samples were positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and one sample for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and these were isolated from rosaries. 0.3% of Staphylococcus isolates were MRSA.

CONCLUSION

As there is a high risk of contamination of carpets and prayer beads on the mosque floor with human flora, the use of appropriate hygiene practices is necessary. We also found some emerging bacteria in addition to the normal human flora.

LIMITATIONS

Our study was conducted in three provinces. Further studies might cover a wider geography.

Are mosque carpets' reservoirs for fungi causing superficial foot mycosis? A cross-sectional study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The possibility of superficial foot mycoses to spread through contaminated mosque carpets between worshipers imposes a great health burden and is never addressed in Riyadh, SA. We aimed to assess the prevalence of fungal infections, especially human dermatophytosis acquired from mosque carpets, in five different regions of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and establish a means of contamination control. A cross-sectional study of 100 mosques in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was conducted, using a multistage random cluster sampling technique. The study included mosques that had an ablution area and regularly hosted five prayers a day. Sterile swabs were used for sampling, and the samples were transported to the laboratory for culture and analysis using a micro-scan system. A total of 199 (65%) samples contained several fungal species. Rhodotorula (74%), Cladosporium (47%), Bipolaris (46.6%), other yeasts (43.7%), Alternaria (40%), dematiaceous molds (34%), Curvularia (32.4%), and Candida (31%) were the most frequently isolated species. Species belonging to several other genera were also detected. This study revealed a relatively high prevalence of fungal organisms in mosque carpets in Riyadh, suggesting the need for implementing new strategies and laws to increase the level of hygiene awareness among worshipers and mosque caretakers to limit the spread of foot fungal infections.