MyMicrobiome Standard 42.10 – Foot microbiome

Our feet not only have to bear our body weight, but also find unfavorable conditions most of the time. Poorly ventilated, in the warm and humid microclimate of shoes and socks, often exposed to pressure points and sometimes plagued by blisters.

The foot microbiome also has its own composition of microbes. Here we test, for example, socks or materials and insoles used in shoes.

The microbes most commonly found on feet are:

Staphylococcus hominis

Staphylococcus warneri

Staphylococcus epidermidis

Micrococcus luteus

Malassezia globosa

Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum

The test procedure for Standard 42.10

The textile product undergoes four test phases as part of the "Microbiome-friendly" certification.

1. Quality test

The quality test ensures that the textile products are sterile, and our microbiological tests can be carried out with the skin microorganisms. Therefore, textiles are washed according to the manufacturers' instructions beforehand. A screening examines the occurrence of mesophilic and aerobic microorganisms. For decontamination, the products are UV-irradiated or autoclaved.

2. Balance test

The balance between the most common skin microbe S. epidermidis and the harmful bacterium S. aureus should not be disturbed by the textile product. A co-culture with both bacterial strains is mixed with the textile for a certain time and then the ratio of the two microbes is compared with the untreated control group. This must not change in favor of S. aureus under the influence of the textile product.

3. Diversity test

The textile product to be tested is added to a culture of specific microbes typical for the feet. After a certain incubation period, the change in diversity among the different microorganisms is compared with the untreated control group. The diversity of the microbiome in terms of the most important key microbes must be maintained.

4. Vitality test

A microbiome-friendly textile product for the feet should not undesirably influence the vitality of the individual microbes. This test simulates direct skin contact of the microbes - considered individually. The growth of the microorganisms is compared with an untreated control group and must neither be significantly reduced nor stimulated.

"Safeguarding and protecting the mechanisms of the microorganisms present on the skin is considered to be the best contribution textiles could offer the skin microbiome at this stage, considering the current state of research."

Sarah de Visser, Textile Specialist