WORKbiota: A Systematic Review about the Effects of Occupational Exposure on Microbiota and Workers’ Health

Abstract

The characterization of human microbiota and the impact of its modifications on the health of individuals represent a current topic of great interest for the world scientific community. Scientific evidence is emerging regarding the role that microbiota has in the onset of important chronic illnesses. Since individuals spend most of their life at work, occupational exposures may have an impact on the organism’s microbiota. The purpose of this review is to explore the influence that different occupational exposures have on human microbiota in order to set a new basis for workers’ health protection and disease prevention. The literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus. A total of 5818 references emerged from the online search, and 31 articles were included in the systematic review (26 original articles and 5 reviews). Exposure to biological agents (in particular direct contact with animals) was the most occupational risk factor studied, and it was found involved in modifications of the microbiota of workers. Changes in microbiota were also found in workers exposed to chemical agents or subjected to work-related stress and altered dietary habits caused by specific microclimate characteristics or long trips. Two studies evaluated the role of microbiota changes on the development of occupational lung diseases. Occupational factors can interface with the biological rhythms of the bacteria of the microbiota and can contribute to its modifications and to the possible development of diseases. Future studies are needed to better understand the role of the microbiota and its connection with occupational exposure to promote projects for the prevention and protection of global health.

Unravelling the mechanisms of underweight in Parkinson’s disease by investigating into the role of gut microbiome

“…Age and sex were confounding factors of PD-UW, PD-IMA, and IMA-UW relationship, which had been controlled in this study. However, there are also many potential confounding factors of PD-IMA relationship (e.g., occupational and environmental exposure 73 , 74 ) and IMA-UW relationship (e.g., socioeconomic status and dietary patterns 75 , 76 ) not being measured in this study. We will incorporate them into our future studies.…”

The Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis in Psychiatric Disorders

“…The circadian clock system comprises a central circadian clock, placed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, and peripheral circadian clocks, located in tissues such as the intestine, pancreas, heart, liver, skeletal muscles, and kidneys. GM has diurnal fluctuations that can be affected by phase shifting (jetlag), shift work, light, sleep, dietary nutrition, and stress [ 75 , 76 , 77 ]. As described in Section 3.3 , stress has a tremendous effect on the human organism and causes dysregulation of the intestinal microbiota.…”

“…Due to the fact that individuals spend most of their life working, occupational exposure to chemical, physical, and biological hazards current in the workplace becomes an important factor in determining the microbiota [ 85 ]. According to the review of Mucci et al [ 75 ], the most dangerous agents causing alterations in worker’s microbiome were exposure to biological agents (direct contact with animals and healthcare personnel), and chemical agents (metalworking fluids, dust, pesticides), following pressure of work, and changed nutritional habits as a result of long journeys and microclimate conditions. For example, after the sea voyage (30 days), the microbiome of sailors has changed, which led to an increase in the species Streptococcus gordonii and Klebsiella pneumoniae [ 86 ].…”

“…An abundance of Faecalibacterium was detected in day shift workers [ 79 ]. Such studies that indicate differences in microbiome composition and the presence of specific genera could serve as biomarkers in diagnosing and monitoring workers’ health [ 75 ].…”

Correction: Mucci et al. WORKbiota: A Systematic Review about the Effects of Occupational Exposure on Microbiota and Workers’ Health. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 1043

“…Eleonora Tommasi was not included as an author in the original publication [ 1 ]. The corrected Author Contributions Statement appears here.…”