Dispersion characteristics of oral microbial communities in a built environment

Abstract

Advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies since 2005 have revolutionized biological science. One particular application of NGS technologies is to elucidate microbiomes in built environments. We are currently conducting a series of studies on the elucidation and control of mass infection mechanisms based on dynamic measurement of environment microbiomes. The objective of this study is to clarify the dispersion characteristics of oral bacteria in the built environment. Bacterial communities from occupants' hands and oral cavities, doorknobs, desk and keyboard surfaces, and air in laboratories were investigated in seven Japanese universities. The median relative abundances of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Fusobacteria were 41%, 31%, 12%, 7%, and 3%, respectively. Moreover, the main genera detected were Streptococcus (27.6%), Haemophilus (7.0%), Staphylococcus (5.6%), Neisseria (5.6%), Corynebacterium (4.7%), Rothia (3.2%), Prevotella (3.0%), Fusobacterium (2.6%), Veillonella (1.7%), Leptotrichia (1.7%), Enhydrobacter (1.7%), Lactobacillus (1.3%), Acinetobacter (1.3%), and Actinomyces (1.1%). The oral bacteria Actinomyces, Corynebacterium, Fusobacterium, Haemophilus, Leptotrichia, Neisseria, Prevotella, Rothia, and Streptococcus were observed in indoor air and on surfaces as well as in oral cavities. Furthermore, Prevotella melaninogenica and Rothia mucilaginosa were observed in all samples, including those from hands and oral cavities, doorknobs, desk and PC keyboard surfaces, and air in laboratories, in all seven universities. Keywords built environment, dispersion characteristics, environmental monitoring, indoor microbiome, oral cavity bacteriaThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Bacterial Flora on Mist Outlet Surfaces in 4D Theaters and Suspended Particle Concentration Characteristics during 4D Movie Screenings

“…As for the phyla of adherent bacteria on the floor, Proteobacteria , Actinobacteria , Bacteroidetes , and Chlamydiae were found in 4D movie theaters, and Proteobacteria , Actinobacteria , Bacteroidetes , Firmicutes , and Cyanobacteria were found in 2D movie theaters with a relative abundance of 1% or higher. The phyla Proteobacteria , Actinobacteria , Bacteroidetes , Firmicutes , and Cyanobacteria , excluding the Chlamydiae phylum, have also been detected predominantly in house dust [ 13 , 38 ], air-conditioning systems [ 17 , 39 ], university laboratory air, the mouths and hands of occupants, doorknobs [ 15 ], residential carpets and floors [ 40 ], and airplane HEPA filter surfaces [ 41 ]. These findings suggest that these bacterial phyla favor growth in the built environment.…”

“…Many investigations of bacteria in the built environment have been published. The sources of bacteria are also diverse [ 8 ], entering from the outside air [ 9 ] or originating from occupants [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. In addition, bacteria and other organisms of the genera Pseudomonas and Methylobacterium that form biofilms have been detected in heat exchange coils [ 16 , 17 ] and humidifiers [ 18 , 19 , 20 ] in air conditioning systems in humid environments.…”

Bacterial Communities in Various Parts of Air-Conditioning Units in 17 Japanese Houses

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Comparison of microbiomes on floors of men's restrooms, before and after cleaning with different cleaning methods at two railway stations

“…7,8 Microbiome analysis can offer insights into the characteristics between the bacteria and activity of humans in the environment. [9][10][11] Therefore, in this study, the microbiome of bacteria collected from floor surfaces and the air in men's restrooms in two railway stations was analyzed employing a 16S rRNA gene analysis technique, before and after cleaning with two different cleaning methods.…”

“…Regarding the study of microorganisms in the environment, microbiome analysis using amplicons based on the extracted DNA from collected samples from surfaces or air and next‐generation sequencers have been applied in many environments 7,8 . Microbiome analysis can offer insights into the characteristics between the bacteria and activity of humans in the environment 9–11 …”