Microbiome of the skin, oropharynx, and facemask

This study aimed to determine the effect of reusing disposable face masks on the microbiome of the skin and oropharynx. Subjects were sampled longitudinally over the course of 7 days, during which half of the participants wore a fresh mask daily and half reused one mask for the entire 7 days. The microbiome of the skin (nasal crease), oropharynx, and the mask itself were assessed via sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene.