{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T06:23:36Z","timestamp":1787639016640,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787616000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Gym equipment surfaces represent high-contact environments that facilitate the transmission of bacterial pathogens between users. This study aimed to identify bacterial species contaminating gym equipment surfaces across six gyms in the Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia, and to evaluate the effectiveness of routine disinfection in reducing bacterial load and affecting bacterial composition.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Twenty-one paired surface swab samples were collected before and after routine disinfection using sterile normal saline-moistened swabs from six gyms (A\u2013F; one male, five female) on Sunday, April 5, 2026, between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. during peak usage hours at the end of spring. Bacterial identification was performed using the VITEK 2 automated system, and colony counts were recorded on Blood Agar. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was applied for statistical analysis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A total of 17 bacterial isolates were identified, distributed across three genera:\n                      <jats:italic>Micrococcus<\/jats:italic>\n                      (47.1%),\n                      <jats:italic>Staphylococcus<\/jats:italic>\n                      (47.1%), and\n                      <jats:italic>Kocuria<\/jats:italic>\n                      (5.9%). Post-disinfection colony counts decreased from 3,800 to 1,360 CFU, representing a 64.2% reduction, with a statistically significant difference (\n                      <jats:italic>Z<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f2.671,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.008). Complete elimination was not achieved on all surfaces, and the treadmill in Gym B exhibited a post-disinfection increase from 180 to 370 CFU\/100 cm\u00b2, which may reflect rapid recontamination, normal sampling variation, or differences in the exact surface area sampled before and after disinfection. Notably, two of the six gyms (D and F) employed multi-purpose cleaning agents devoid of any biocidal active ingredient, suggesting that their procedures may provide cleaning activity rather than confirmed disinfection activity.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These findings highlight the need for evidence-based disinfectants and standardized hygiene protocols in fitness facilities.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1915360","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T05:35:00Z","timestamp":1787636100000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effect of routine disinfection on bacterial composition and load of gym equipment surfaces in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Noorah Saleh","family":"Al-Sowayan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, Qassim University","place":["Buraydah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shouaa Abdulaziz","family":"Alrobaish","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, Qassim University","place":["Buraydah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ghadir Ghazi","family":"Al Suliman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, Qassim University","place":["Buraydah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jana Fahad","family":"Alharbi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, Qassim University","place":["Buraydah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Norah Sulaiman","family":"Althiwaini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, Qassim University","place":["Buraydah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wasayf Abdulrahman","family":"Almousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, Qassim University","place":["Buraydah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ghuyum Suliman","family":"Alrudhayman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, Qassim University","place":["Buraydah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Meznah Naif","family":"Alsalamah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, Qassim University","place":["Buraydah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nariman Abdullah","family":"Alharbi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, College of Science, Qassim University","place":["Buraydah, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12544","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph111212544","article-title":"Diversity of bacterial communities of fitness center surfaces","volume":"11","author":"Mukherjee","year":"2014","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4592830","DOI":"10.1155\/2018\/4592830","article-title":"High occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from fitness equipment from selected gymnasiums","volume":"2018","author":"Bilung","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Environ Public Health"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"52576","DOI":"10.1007\/s11356-021-14323-5","article-title":"Investigation and disinfection of bacteria and fungi in sports fitness center","volume":"28","author":"Boonrattanakij","year":"2021","journal-title":"Environ Sci Pollut Res"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"148","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajic.2010.06.006","article-title":"Are gymnasium equipment surfaces a source of staphylococcal infections in the community?","volume":"39","author":"Ryan","year":"2011","journal-title":"Am J Infect Control"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-019-3699-7","article-title":"Characterizing the molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus across and within fitness facility types","volume":"19","author":"Dalman","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1182594","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2023.1182594","article-title":"Surfaces of gymnastic equipment as reservoirs of microbial pathogens with potential for transmission of bacterial infection and antimicrobial resistance","volume":"14","author":"Zhang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Microbiol"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1551","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20021551","article-title":"Assessment of dust, chemical, microbiological pollutions and microclimatic parameters of indoor air in sports facilities","volume":"20","author":"Szulc","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"123976","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envpol.2024.123976","article-title":"Assessment of Portuguese fitness centers: bridging the knowledge gap on harmful microbial contamination with focus on fungi","volume":"350","author":"Viegas","year":"2024","journal-title":"Environ Pollut"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"34","DOI":"10.1097\/01.jsm.0000181436.41268.1f","article-title":"Prospective study of bacterial and viral contamination of exercise equipment","volume":"16","author":"Goldhammer","year":"2006","journal-title":"Clin J Sport Med"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1038\/nrmicro.2017.157","article-title":"The human skin microbiome","volume":"16","author":"Byrd","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nat Rev Microbiol"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"555","DOI":"10.1038\/nrmicro2182","article-title":"Staphylococcus epidermidis\u2014the accidental pathogen","volume":"7","author":"Otto","year":"2009","journal-title":"Nat Rev Microbiol"},{"key":"ref12","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e34867","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0034867","article-title":"Human occupancy as a source of indoor airborne bacteria","volume":"7","author":"Hospodsky","year":"2012","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"s13","DOI":"10.1017\/ash.2023.40","article-title":"SG-APSIC1023: Contamination of the geriatric medicine outpatient rehabilitation gym environment and the effectiveness of our current disinfection methods with patient hand hygiene practices","volume":"3","author":"Toh","year":"2023","journal-title":"Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"126","DOI":"10.61186\/jhehp.10.3.126","article-title":"Evaluating gym hygiene practices and microbial contamination using protein and fluorescence testing approaches","volume":"10","author":"Batista","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Hum. Environ. Health Promot."},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100336","DOI":"10.1016\/j.infpip.2023.100336","article-title":"Evaluating ethanol concentrations against Staphylococcus spp: a proposal for improving nosocomial bacteria control","volume":"6","author":"Soyer","year":"2024","journal-title":"Infect Prev Pract"},{"key":"ref17","year":"2016"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1915360\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T05:35:00Z","timestamp":1787636100000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1915360\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]]},"references-count":17,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1915360"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1915360","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]]},"article-number":"1915360"}}