The military gear microbiome: risk factors surrounding the warfighter.

ABSTRACT: Combat extremity wounds are highly susceptible to contamination from surrounding environmental material. This bioburden could be partially transferred from materials in immediate proximity to the wound, including fragments of the uniform and gear. However, the assessment of the microbial bioburden present on military gear during operational conditions of deployment or training is relatively unexplored. Opportunistic pathogens that can survive on gear represent risk factors for infection following injury, especially following combat blasts, where fibers and other materials are embedded in wounded tissue. We utilized 16S rRNA sequencing to assess the microbiome composition of different military gear types (boot, trouser, coat, and canteen) from two operational environments (training in Hawai

SUBMITTER: Kok CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10807412 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature