Is it possible to sanitize athletes' shoes?

Area of Science:

• Podiatry
• Microbiology
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Footwear design is critical for preventing foot trauma and infections.
• Bacterial and fungal infections of the feet are often favored by skin trauma.
• Sanitizing shoe interiors is an underutilized but important preventive measure against foot infections and odor.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a shoe sanitizing technique.
• To reduce bacterial and fungal contamination within athletic footwear.

Main Methods:

• A crossover study design was employed.
• Participants included 27 male athletes and 4 coaches from the Mens Sana basketball team (62 shoes).
• Shoe interior samples were collected before and after a 4-week daily application of the sanitizing technique.

Main Results:

• Significant reductions were observed in total bacterial counts at 36°C and 22°C, and for Staphylococcus spp.
• Escherichia coli and total coliform bacteria were no longer detected after the intervention.
• No statistically significant decrease in yeasts or molds was noted, likely due to initially low contamination levels.

Conclusions:

• The sanitizing technique demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing bacterial contamination in athletes' shoes.
• This method offers a viable strategy for primary prevention of foot infections and odor associated with footwear.