Is there a Vicious Bacteria Hanging Out on Your Shoes?

February 11, 2024 TruthUSA

Studies examining pathogenic microbes on shoe soles suggest a habit that might reduce transmission of germs.

Many of us may be unwittingly transporting a bacterium that causes a nasty “superbug” infection.

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) was once considered a health care-associated infection, because it was believed that those who became infected contracted it from a hospital or health care setting. C. diff is easily transmissible and deadly among those whose immune systems are compromised due to age or recent antibiotic use. It causes inflammation in the colon leading to fever and severe diarrhea—up to 15–30 times daily.

Newer studies have challenged the viewpoint that C. diff is primarily found and transmitted in hospitals. In fact, ongoing research at the University of Houston found C. diff in nearly identical levels inside and outside health care settings, and of all sites tested, shoe soles had the highest positivity rate at 45 percent.

There’s no doubt our shoes are playing a role as a bug “superhighway” that picks up pathogenic hitchhikers everywhere we trod. A growing body of evidence highlights that this often overlooked mode of microbe transmission is associated with a habit not everyone is willing to change—wearing shoes in the house. Though a habit in many other cultures, many Americans don’t don’t leave their shoes at the door.

Stubborn About Shoes

About 37 percent of Americans wear their shoes inside, according to a CBS poll in 2023, and 76 percent allow guests to keep their shoes on in their homes. The same poll, however, found that 90 percent of people think it’s reasonable to be asked to take off shoes when visiting someone else’s home.

Whether they take their shoes off or not, most people don’t think about disinfecting the bottoms of their shoes. Many people may even come into direct contact with the soles of their shoes—or their children’s shoes—when they put them on and take them off.

It’s not unreasonable to think that a contaminated hand might make it to someone’s face and cause an infection, according to Kevin Garey, co-author of the shoe study and chair at the University of House College of Pharmacy.

Shoes as Germ Vectors

Another of Mr. Garey’s studies from 2014 published in Anaerobe collected three to five items or environmental dust from 30 houses in Houston and tested them for C. diff. Forty-one of 127 samples collected from floor dust, bathroom and other household surfaces, and shoe soles—tested positive. Swabs from the bottom of shoes showed the highest percentage of positive C. diff at nearly 40 percent.

Mr. Garey isn’t the only researcher making the connection. A 2016 systematic review in the Journal of Applied Microbiology examined studies about whether shoe soles could be a vector for infectious pathogens. In all, there were thirteen studies documenting C. diff—as well as other drug-resistant pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus—on the bottoms of shoes in health care settings, as well as in the community and among food workers.

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“Until the end of the 20th century, CDIs were accepted as a complication of antimicrobial therapy, were mainly hospital-acquired and were not accepted as a major problem for the healthcare system,” the article stated.

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“One in every five ER visits for adverse drug events is antibiotic-related. This is a serious situation that I don’t think we are very aware of,” she said. “We think of antibiotics as a safe, reliable drug that has changed health care, and it is. But there are still a lot of adverse events, and we’re moving into the era of superbugs.”

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“You want a healthy microbiome. That diversity keeps that community in check … and helps you fight off a C. diff infection,” Ms. Dunlap said. “The human body is pretty amazing.”

Even one course of antibiotics interrupts the microbiome balance and can cause an opportunistic pathogen to proliferate. But most people with no recent antibiotic exposure are more than capable of preventing infections, Mr. Garey said.

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“However, if you have recently been hospitalized and received antibiotics, you may want to be more vigilant,” he said. “Luckily, very simple things like frequent hand washing with soap and water is generally good enough to keep the possibility of infection down to a low level.”

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Some experts also suggest using a probiotic when taking an antibiotic, particularly for those who have had their appendix removed or have other vulnerabilities. A diverse diet with lots of different colors of fruits and vegetables has also been linked to a diverse microbiome.

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According to the study, nearly all colony-forming units in bacterial strains were completely eliminated after 12 to 20 seconds of UV-C exposure using a foot mat that exposed light to the bottoms of shoes.

Published in the International Journal for Environmental Research and Public Health, the study concluded that the “findings provided important evidence for the effectiveness of UV-C disinfection; therefore, further studies should be encouraged to confirm its efficacy as an adjunct to standard cleaning in reducing HAI-related hospital pathogens.”

Thousands of Unseen Reasons to Kick Off Your Shoes

C. diff isn’t the only reason to leave your shoes at the door when you come inside your home. Other research and experts warn of the following dangers that can be avoided when you remove your shoes indoors:

Commercial lawn fertilizers and weed killers applied to yards that end up in household dust and surfaces.
Toxic chemicals and microplastics found in many shoes themselves, as well as those that end up on shoe soles. Waterproofing material and PFAs, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are often used in shoe construction. “Forever chemicals” can hitch a ride wherever you go.
Cancer-causing asphalt residue.
Soil laced with lead. Many warnings have been issued suggesting even small amounts are dangerous, particularly to children, and warrant the removal of shoes.
Other microbes that cause disease and illness.

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