Vacuum Dust: An Unknown Disease Vector of Bacteria and Mold

A recent study looks at a previously unknown disease vector that's caused by vacuum dust.

According to researchers at the University of Queensland and Laval University, aerosolized dust created by vacuums often contains bacteria and mold that can lead to adverse effects in allergic people, infants and those with compromised immune systems.

In fact, study authors found a resistance to genes in five common antibiotics in the sampled bacteria along with the Clostridium botulinum toxin gene. The study notes that this is of particular concern due to "The dust found indoors could act as a vehicle for infant botulism infection that can have severe consequences," including sudden infant death syndrome, according to a press release.

"Even though no quantitative data are available for antibiotic resistance gene emission while vacuuming, the observed emission rates for bacteria might suggest that the genetic content of those bacterial cells, including antibiotic resistance genes, may contribute to indoor bioaerosol exposure," the researchers explain, via the release.

To take a closer look, the team used a special clean air wind tunnel that measures vacuum emissions from 21 vacuums of varying quality and age. The clean air wind tunnel enabled them to eliminate certain sources of particles and bacteria, according to Knibbs. "That way, we could confidently attribute the things we measured purely to the vacuum cleaner."

The results of the studies showed how human skin and hair is an important source of bacteria in floor dust and indoor dust and can be dangerous when inhaled.

Study authors hope that through this and other research, they can raise the profile of potential indoor sources of culprits in unsolved medical cases. The investigators thus conclude via the report that the vacuum cleaners are "underrepresented in indoor aerosol and bioaerosol assessment and should be considered, especially when assessing cases of allergy, asthma, or infectious diseases without known environmental reservoirs for the pathogenic or causative microbe."

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More findings regarding the study can be found via the Applied and Environmental Microbiology.