Microbial contamination screening and interpretation for biological laboratory environments

Abstract

13Advances in microbiome researches have led us to the realization that the composition of microbial 14 communities of indoor environment is profoundly affected by the function of buildings, and in turn 15 may bring detrimental effects to the indoor environment and the occupants. Thus investigation is 16 warranted for a deeper understanding of the potential impact of the indoor microbial communities. 17Among these environments, the biological laboratories stand out because they are relatively clean 18 and yet are highly susceptible to microbial contaminants. In this study, we assessed the microbial 19 compositions of samples from the surfaces of various sites across different types of biological 20 laboratories. We have qualitatively and quantitatively assessed these possible microbial 21 contaminants, and found distinct differences in their microbial community composition. We also 22 found that the type of laboratories has a larger influence than the sampling site in shaping the 23 microbial community, in terms of both structure and richness. On the other hand, the public areas of 24 the different types of laboratories share very similar sets of microbes. Tracing the main sources of 25 these microbes, we identified both environmental and human factors that are important factors in 26 shaping the diversity and dynamics of these possible microbial contaminations in biological 27 laboratories. These possible microbial contaminants that we have identified will be helpful for 28 people who aim to eliminate them from samples. 29