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A review of clothing microbiology: the history of clothing and the role of microbes in textiles
Summary
This review examines the history of clothing textiles and the relationship between microbes and fabric fibers, covering microbial persistence, degradation of different materials, and skin microbiome interactions. The study highlights that despite thousands of years of wearing clothing, relatively little is known about how textiles affect the human skin microbiome, pointing to opportunities for future research in industrial and environmental applications.
Humans have worn clothing for thousands of years, and since its invention, clothing has evolved from its simple utilitarian function for survival to become an integral part of society. While much consideration has been given to the broad environmental impacts of the textile and laundering industries, little is known about the impact wearing clothing has had on the human microbiome, particularly that of the skin, despite our long history with clothing. This review discusses the history of clothing and the evolution of textiles, what is and is not known about microbial persistence on and degradation of various fibres, and what opportunities for the industrial and environmental application of clothing microbiology exist for the future.
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