Muslims tend to spend a lot of time inside mosques, special indoor environments for
human gatherings, open to all age groups during prayer times, particularly elderly
people who have a high prevalence of chronic diseases and associated risks.
1,2
Many studies have so far shown a significant association between the area per occupant
and the concentration of bacteria, which may increase the risk of infections in such
enclosed spaces.
3
However, limited information is available on the type of the isolated pathogenic bacteria
from carpets of mosques globally.
4
We conducted this study to investigate the types of the bacterial contamination, if
any, in prayer carpets in mosques in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. We
also attempted to compare the contamination levels between male and female prayer
halls.
Using a cross-sectional design, 100 mosques representing most areas of Riyadh, were
studied. Using a cluster random sampling, mosques where all the five daily prayers
are performed and which have an ablution area were selected from the five regions
of Riyadh—middle, northern, southern, eastern, and western areas. Twenty mosques were
selected randomly from each of the five regions. Samples were obtained from selected
areas of carpets in the main entrance and the first row, as these areas have the highest
load of worshipers in both men and women praying sections by a trained research assistant
in August and September 2017, using sterile cotton swabs. The swabs were moistened
with sterile gel (Medical Disposable Manufacturing Co., Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
and transported immediately in Stuart transport medium to the microbiology lab. Separate
cotton swabs and transport media were used for each area. Samples were inoculated
on three media—blood agar for 24–48 hrs, MacConkey agar for 24–48 hrs, and Sabouraud
dextrose agar (Saudi Prepared Media Laboratory Co. Ltd., Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia) for 24–72 hrs. Any growth on blood agar was only identified by Gram stain,
catalase, and coagulase. Catalase-positive coagulase-negative Gram-positive cocci
were considered “coagulase-negative staphylococci.” Catalase-positive coagulase-negative
Gram-positive tetrads were identified by morphology: yellow colonies on blood agar
were considered “micrococci.” Catalase-positive coagulase-positive Gram-positive cocci
were further processed by the MicroScan system (Abdulla Fouad Holding Co., serial
number 3967402, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) for full identification and sensitivity;
they were reported either as S. aureus or methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA).
Furthermore, catalase-positive coagulase-negative Gram-positive bacilli were reported
as Bacillus spp. However, if a Gram-positive bacteria grew on both blood agar and
MacConkey agar, the bacteria were further processed by MicroScan for full identification
and sensitivity and considered either E. coli or Pseudomonas.
No significant difference in the frequency or type of the isolated bacteria was found
between men and women praying halls (p=0.103), and also between the main entrance
and the first row (p=0.803). Of all the samples taken, 94% were positive for different
bacterial organisms; 56.9% of the samples were Gram-positive cocci; 53.6% were Gram-positive
bacilli. Gram-negative bacilli accounted for 31.7% of the samples. No bacterial growth
was found in 5.6% of the samples taken. The most frequently isolated organisms were
coagulase-negative staphylococci (59.4%), Bacillus spp. (56.9%), and Micrococcus 42.7%
(Fig 1). Other potentially pathogenic bacteria like Shigella (0.3%), MRSA (0.3%),
and Yersinia enterocolitica (0.3%) were isolated from the eastern, southern, and western
parts of Riyadh, respectively. E. coli (0.7%) and Klebsiella (1.0%) were cultured
from the central region of Riyadh.
Figure 1
Types of bacteria isolated from the carpets of mosques in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (n=288)
This high frequency of the isolated microorganisms could reflect the longstanding
presence of carpets inside the studied mosques and the methods used for their cleansing.
5
This highlights the need for establishing new programs to improve hygiene in mosques,
good-quality ablution facilities, and raising awareness of worshipers about hygiene.
These programs should include different strategies, for instance, setting a timetable
to clean mosque carpets periodically and creating health educational material, including
banners and brochures that can be distributed among the worshipers.
Conflicts of Interest
None declared.