Your washing machine could make bacteria antibiotic-resistant and you won't even know it

A new study suggests that healthcare workers who wash their uniforms at home may unknowingly spread antibiotic-resistant bacteria, increasing the risk of infections in hospitals. Led by Professor Katie Laird from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), the research was published this week in PLOS One and raises concerns about hospital hygiene.

The research team tested six different home washing machines to see how well they could clean fabric contaminated with Enterococcus faecium, a bacteria linked to hospital infections. They found that only half of the machines (3 out of 6) properly disinfected uniforms at 60°C when using a full cycle, while rapid cycles performed inconsistently, making them unreliable for killing germs.

To get a better idea of bacteria inside washing machines, the team used shotgun metagenomics analysis to study biofilms in 12 different machines. The results showed that some machines contained potentially harmful bacteria, including Mycobacterium sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Acinetobacter sp., as well as antibiotic resistance genes, which help bacteria survive treatments meant to kill them.

The study also examined how well domestic detergents could fight Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, three bacteria that cause serious infections. The findings were worrying: Some bacteria became resistant to detergents, which made them more resistant to antibiotics, too.

Further genetic testing found mutations in efflux pump genes, specifically S. aureus (MrgA) and K. pneumoniae (AcrB), after exposure to detergents. These pumps help bacteria remove harmful substances, and changes to them could make antibiotic treatments less effective.

These results suggest that home washing machines might not be good enough for cleaning healthcare uniforms properly, which could contribute to hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Healthcare workers rely on domestic machines, but if bacteria survive the wash, they could spread to patients.

Professor Laird and her team believe laundry guidelines should be updated to make sure healthcare uniforms are properly disinfected. They also recommend that hospitals consider switching to industrial washing machines, which are far more effective at killing germs.

Professor Laird explained why this matters, saying: “Our research shows that domestic washing machines often fail to disinfect textiles, allowing antibiotic-resistant bacteria to survive. If we’re serious about transmission of infectious disease via textiles and tackling antimicrobial resistance, we must rethink how we launder what our healthcare workers wear.”

With antibiotic resistance becoming a serious health issue worldwide, stronger hospital laundry policies could be an important step toward keeping patients safe. Healthcare facilities may need to rethink how uniforms are cleaned to prevent the spread of dangerous bacteria and reduce hospital infections.

Source: De Montfort University, PLOS One

This article was generated with some help from AI and reviewed by an editor.

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