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Wang S, Qin T, Tu R, Li T, Chen GI, Green DC, Zhang X, Feng J, Liu H, Hu M, Fu Q. Indoor air quality in subway microenvironments: Pollutant characteristics, adverse health impacts, and population inequity. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 190:108873. [PMID: 39024827 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Rapidly increasing urbanization in recent decades has elevated the subway as the primary public transportation mode in metropolitan areas. Indoor air quality (IAQ) inside subways is an important factor that influences the health of commuters and subway workers. This review discusses the subway IAQ in different cities worldwide by comparing the sources and abundance of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in these environments. Factors that affect PM concentration and chemical composition were found to be associated with the subway internal structure, train frequency, passenger volume, and geographical location. Special attention was paid to air pollutants, such as transition metals, volatile/semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs), and bioaerosols, due to their potential roles in indoor chemistry and causing adverse health impacts. In addition, given that the IAQ of subway systems is a public health issue worldwide, we calculated the Gini coefficient of urban subway exposure via meta-analysis. A value of 0.56 showed a significant inequity among different cities. Developed regions with higher per capita income tend to have higher exposure. By reviewing the current advances and challenges in subway IAQ with a focus on indoor chemistry and health impacts, future research is proposed toward a sustainable urban transportation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunyao Wang
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Tianchen Qin
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Ran Tu
- School of Transportation, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; The Key Laboratory of Transport Industry of Comprehensive Transportation Theory (Nanjing Modern Multimodal Transportation Laboratory), Nanjing, China.
| | - Tianyuan Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Gang I Chen
- Environmental Research Group, MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - David C Green
- Environmental Research Group, MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK; NIRH HPRU in Environmental Exposures and Health, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Xin Zhang
- School of Transportation, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Jialiang Feng
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Haobing Liu
- School of Transportation Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, China
| | - Ming Hu
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China; Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center, Shanghai 200235, China
| | - Qingyan Fu
- Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences, Shanghai 200233, China.
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Harnpicharnchai P, Siriarchawatana P, Mayteeworakoon S, Ingsrisawang L, Likhitrattanapisal S, Eurwilaichitr L, Ingsriswang S. Interplay of xenobiotic-degrading and antibiotic-resistant microorganisms among the microbiome found in the air, handrail, and floor of the subway station. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 247:118269. [PMID: 38246293 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Investigating the quality of the subway environment, especially regarding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and xenobiotics, conveys ecological and health impacts. In this study, compositions and relations of microorganisms harboring ARGs and xenobiotic degradation and metabolism genes (XDGs) in the Sukhumvit subway station (MRT-SKV) in Bangkok was assessed by analyzing the taxonomic and genetic diversity of the microbiome in the air and on the surfaces of floor and handrail. The major bacteria in the MRT-SKV (including Moraxella, which was abundant in the bioaerosol and handrail samples, and Staphylococcus, which was abundant in the bioaerosol samples) were found to contain both ARGs and XDGs. The co-abundance correlation network revealed notable relationships among bacteria harboring antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and xenobiotic degradation genes (XDGs). Significant associations were observed between ARGs linked to glycopeptide and fluoroquinolone resistance and genes associated with benzoate, styrene, and atrazine degradation pathways, as well as between ARGs related to cephamycin, cephalosporin, and MLS resistance and XDGs associated with the cytochrome P450-dependent drug metabolism pathway. These correlations suggested that selective pressure exerted by certain xenobiotics and antibiotics can simultaneously affect both ARGs and XDGs in the environment and should favor correlations and co-survival among ARG- and XDG-containing bacteria in the environments. The correlations may occur via shared mechanisms of resistance to both xenobiotics and antibiotics. Finally, different correlation pairs were seen in different niches (air, handrail, floor) of the subway environment or different geolocations. Thus, the relationship between ARG and XDG pairs most likely depends on the unique characteristics of the niches and on the prominent types of xenobiotics and antibiotics in the subway environment. The results indicated that interactions and connections between microbial communities can impact how they function. These microorganisms can have profound effects on accumulation of xenobiotics and ARGs in the MRT-SKV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piyanun Harnpicharnchai
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Paopit Siriarchawatana
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Sermsiri Mayteeworakoon
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Lily Ingsrisawang
- Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Chatuchak, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Somsak Likhitrattanapisal
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Lily Eurwilaichitr
- National Energy Technology Center, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Supawadee Ingsriswang
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand.
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Kaminski MD, Daiyega N, Magnuson M. A Review of the Resuspension of Radioactively Contaminated Particles by Vehicle and Pedestrian Traffic-Current Theory, Practice, Gaps, and Needs. HEALTH PHYSICS 2024; 126:216-240. [PMID: 38381971 DOI: 10.1097/hp.0000000000001797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACT The resuspension of radioactively contaminated particles in a built environment, such as from urban surfaces like foliage, building exteriors, and roadways, is described empirically by current plume and dosimetry models used for hazard assessment and long-term risk purposes. When applying these models to radiological contamination emergencies affecting urban areas, the accuracy of the results for recent contamination deposition is impacted in two main ways. First, the data supporting the underlying resuspension equations was acquired for open, quiescent conditions with no vehicle traffic or human activities, so it is not necessarily representative of the urban environment. Second, mechanical disturbance by winds in urban canyons and during emergency operations caused by vehicle traffic and human activities are not directly considered by the equations. Accordingly, plume and dosimetry models allow the user to input certain compensating values, but the models do not necessarily supply users instructions on what values to use. This manuscript reviews the available literature to comprehensively and consistently pool data for resuspension due to mechanically induced resuspension applicable to urban contamination. Because there are few studies that directly measured radioactive resuspension due to vehicles and pedestrians, this review novelly draws on a range of other studies involving non-radioactive particles, ranging from outdoor air pollution emissions to indoor allergen transport. The results lead to tabulated, recommended values for specific conditions in the emergency phase to help users of plume and dosimetry models maintain the conservativeness needed to properly capture the potential radiation dose posed by mechanically induced resuspension. These values are of benefit to model users until better data are available. The results also suggest the types of data that may result in improved plume and dose modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nico Daiyega
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
| | - Matthew Magnuson
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development/Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response/Homeland Security and Materials Management Division
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Sharma S, Jahanzaib M, Bakht A, Kim MK, Lee H, Park D. The composition of the bacterial communities collected from the PM 10 samples inside the Seoul subway and railway station. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6478. [PMID: 38499557 PMCID: PMC10948816 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49848-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Health implications of indoor air quality (IAQ) have drawn more attention since the COVID epidemic. There are many different kinds of studies done on how IAQ affects people's well-being. There hasn't been much research that looks at the microbiological composition of the aerosol in subway transit systems. In this work, for the first time, we examined the aerosol bacterial abundance, diversity, and composition in the microbiome of the Seoul subway and train stations using DNA isolated from the PM10 samples from each station (three subway and two KTX stations). The average PM10 mass concentration collected on the respective platform was 41.862 µg/m3, with the highest average value of 45.95 µg/m3 and the lowest of 39.25 µg/m3. The bacterial microbiomes mainly constituted bacterial species of soil and environmental origin (e.g., Acinetobacter, Brevundimonas, Lysinibacillus, Clostridiodes) with fewer from human sources (Flaviflexus, Staphylococcus). This study highlights the relationship between microbiome diversity and PM10 mass concentration contributed by outdoor air and commuters in South Korea's subway and train stations. This study gives insights into the microbiome diversity, the source, and the susceptibility of public transports in disease spreading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shambhavi Sharma
- Department of Transportation Environmental Research, Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI), Uiwang, 16105, Republic of Korea
- Transportation System Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Muhammad Jahanzaib
- Department of Transportation Environmental Research, Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI), Uiwang, 16105, Republic of Korea
- Transportation System Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Ahtesham Bakht
- Kumoh National Institute of Technology (KIT), 61 Daehak-ro, Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, 39177, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Kyung Kim
- Department of Transportation Environmental Research, Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI), Uiwang, 16105, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunsoo Lee
- Kumoh National Institute of Technology (KIT), 61 Daehak-ro, Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, 39177, Republic of Korea
| | - Duckshin Park
- Department of Transportation Environmental Research, Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI), Uiwang, 16105, Republic of Korea.
- Transportation System Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea.
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Bielen A, Babić I, Vuk Surjan M, Kazazić S, Šimatović A, Lajtner J, Udiković-Kolić N, Mesić Z, Hudina S. Comparison of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and 16S rDNA sequencing for identification of environmental bacteria: a case study of cave mussel-associated culturable microorganisms. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:21752-21764. [PMID: 38393570 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32537-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is routinely used as a rapid and cost-effective method for pathogen identification in clinical settings. In comparison, its performance in other microbiological fields, such as environmental microbiology, is still being tested, although isolates of environmental microbes are essential for in-depth in vivo studies of their biology, including biotechnological applications. We investigated the applicability of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of bacterial isolates from a highly oligotrophic environment - Dinaric Karst caves, which likely harbor specific microorganisms. We cultured bacteria from the shell surface of the endemic mussel Congeria jalzici, one of the three known cave mussels in the world that lives in the Dinaric karst underground. The bacterial isolates were obtained by swabbing the shell surface of mussels living in microhabitats with different amounts of water: 10 air-exposed mussels, 10 submerged mussels, and 10 mussels in the hygropetric zone. A collection of 87 pure culture isolates was obtained, mostly belonging to the phylum Bacillota (72%), followed by Pseudomonadota (16%), Actinomycetota (11%), and Bacteroidota (1%). We compared the results of MALDI-TOF MS identification (Bruker databases DB-5989 and version 11, v11) with the results of 16S rDNA-based phylogenetic analysis, a standard procedure for bacterial identification. Identification to the genus level based on 16S rDNA was possible for all isolates and clearly outperformed the results from MALDI-TOF MS, although the updated MALDI-TOF MS database v11 gave better results than the DB-5989 version (85% versus 62%). However, identification to the species-level by 16S rDNA sequencing was achieved for only 17% of isolates, compared with 14% and 40% for the MALDI-TOF MS databases DB-5989 and v11 database, respectively. In conclusion, our results suggest that continued enrichment of MALDI-TOF MS libraries will result with this method soon becoming a rapid, accurate, and efficient tool for assessing the diversity of culturable bacteria from different environmental niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Bielen
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Ivana Babić
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marija Vuk Surjan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - Ana Šimatović
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jasna Lajtner
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - Zrinka Mesić
- Oikon Ltd., Trg Senjskih Uskoka 1-2, 10020, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Sandra Hudina
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, Zagreb, Croatia
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Yang J, Fan X, Zhang H, Zheng W, Ye T. A review on characteristics and mitigation strategies of indoor air quality in underground subway stations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 869:161781. [PMID: 36708828 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Due to the rapidly increasing ridership and the relatively enclosed underground space, the indoor air quality (IAQ) in underground subway stations (USSs) has attracted more public attention. The air pollutants in USSs, such as particulate matter (PM), CO2 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are hazardous to the health of passengers and staves. Firstly, this paper presents a systematic review on the characteristics and sources of air pollutants in USSs. According to the review work, the concentrations of PM, CO2, VOCs, bacteria and fungi in USSs are 1.1-13.2 times higher than the permissible concentration limits specified by WHO, ASHRAE and US EPA. The PM and VOCs are mainly derived from the internal and outdoor sources. CO2 concentrations are highly correlated with the passenger density and the ventilation rate while the exposure levels of bacteria and fungi depend on the thermal conditions and the settled dust. Then, the online monitoring, fault detection and prediction methods of IAQ are summarized and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods are also discussed. In addition, the available control strategies for improving IAQ in USSs are reviewed, and these strategies are classified and compared from different viewpoints. Lastly, challenges of the IAQ management in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic and several suggestions for underground stations' IAQ management in the future are put forward. This paper is expected to provide a comprehensive guidance for further research and design of the effective prevention measures on air pollutants in USSs so as to achieve more sustainable and healthy underground environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junbin Yang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Xianwang Fan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Huan Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Low and Medium Grade Energy (Tianjin University), Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin 300350, PR China; National Engineering Laboratory for Digital Construction and Evaluation Technology of Urban Rail Transit, Tianjin 300000, PR China
| | - Wandong Zheng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Low and Medium Grade Energy (Tianjin University), Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin 300350, PR China; National Engineering Laboratory for Digital Construction and Evaluation Technology of Urban Rail Transit, Tianjin 300000, PR China.
| | - Tianzhen Ye
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Low and Medium Grade Energy (Tianjin University), Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin 300350, PR China; National Engineering Laboratory for Digital Construction and Evaluation Technology of Urban Rail Transit, Tianjin 300000, PR China
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7
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D'Accolti M, Soffritti I, Bini F, Mazziga E, Cason C, Comar M, Volta A, Bisi M, Fumagalli D, Mazzacane S, Caselli E. Shaping the subway microbiome through probiotic-based sanitation during the COVID-19 emergency: a pre-post case-control study. MICROBIOME 2023; 11:64. [PMID: 36991513 PMCID: PMC10060134 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01512-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the extent to which the public transportation environment, such as in subways, may be important for the transmission of potential pathogenic microbes among humans, with the possibility of rapidly impacting large numbers of people. For these reasons, sanitation procedures, including massive use of chemical disinfection, were mandatorily introduced during the emergency and remain in place. However, most chemical disinfectants have temporary action and a high environmental impact, potentially enhancing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of the treated microbes. By contrast, a biological and eco-sustainable probiotic-based sanitation (PBS) procedure was recently shown to stably shape the microbiome of treated environments, providing effective and long-term control of pathogens and AMR spread in addition to activity against SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Our study aims to assess the applicability and impact of PBS compared with chemical disinfectants based on their effects on the surface microbiome of a subway environment. RESULTS The train microbiome was characterized by both culture-based and culture-independent molecular methods, including 16S rRNA NGS and real-time qPCR microarray, for profiling the train bacteriome and its resistome and to identify and quantify specific human pathogens. SARS-CoV-2 presence was also assessed in parallel using digital droplet PCR. The results showed a clear and significant decrease in bacterial and fungal pathogens (p < 0.001) as well as of SARS-CoV-2 presence (p < 0.01), in the PBS-treated train compared with the chemically disinfected control train. In addition, NGS profiling evidenced diverse clusters in the population of air vs. surface while demonstrating the specific action of PBS against pathogens rather than the entire train bacteriome. CONCLUSIONS The data presented here provide the first direct assessment of the impact of different sanitation procedures on the subway microbiome, allowing a better understanding of its composition and dynamics and showing that a biological sanitation approach may be highly effective in counteracting pathogens and AMR spread in our increasingly urbanized and interconnected environment. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria D'Accolti
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, and LTTA, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
- CIAS Research Center, University of Ferrara, 44122, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Irene Soffritti
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, and LTTA, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
- CIAS Research Center, University of Ferrara, 44122, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Francesca Bini
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, and LTTA, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
- CIAS Research Center, University of Ferrara, 44122, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Eleonora Mazziga
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, and LTTA, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
- CIAS Research Center, University of Ferrara, 44122, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Carolina Cason
- Department of Advanced Translational Microbiology, Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste, Italy
| | - Manola Comar
- Department of Advanced Translational Microbiology, Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste, Italy
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Antonella Volta
- CIAS Research Center, University of Ferrara, 44122, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Matteo Bisi
- CIAS Research Center, University of Ferrara, 44122, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Daniele Fumagalli
- Facility Management Unit, Azienda Trasporti Milanesi S.P.A, 20121, Milan, Italy
| | - Sante Mazzacane
- CIAS Research Center, University of Ferrara, 44122, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Caselli
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, and LTTA, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.
- CIAS Research Center, University of Ferrara, 44122, Ferrara, Italy.
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Siriarchawatana P, Pumkaeo P, Harnpicharnchai P, Likhitrattanapisal S, Mayteeworakoon S, Boonsin W, Zhou X, Liang J, Cai L, Ingsriswang S. Temporal, compositional, and functional differences in the microbiome of Bangkok subway air environment. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 219:115065. [PMID: 36535389 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.115065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
With the growing numbers of the urban population, an increasing number of commuters have relied on subway systems for rapid transportation in daily life. Analyzing the temporal distribution of air microbiomes in subway environments is crucial for the assessment and monitoring of air quality in the subway system, especially with regard to public health. This study employed culture-independent metabarcode sequencing to analyze bacterial diversity and variations in bacterial compositions associated with bioaerosols collected from a subway station in Bangkok over a four-month period. The bacteria obtained were found to consist primarily of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria, with variations at the family, genus, and species levels among samples obtained in different months. The vast majority of these bacteria are most likely derived from outside environments and human body sources. Many of the bacteria found in Bangkok subway station were also identified as "core microorganisms" of subway environments around the world, as suggested by the MetaSUB Consortium. The diversity of bacterial communities was shown to be influenced by several air quality variables, especially ambient temperature and the quantity of particulate matters, which showed positive correlations with several bacterial species such as Acinetobacter lwoffii, Staphylococcus spp., and Moraxella osloensis. In addition, metabolic profiles inferred from metabarcode-derived bacterial diversity showed significant variations across different sampling times and sites and can be used as a starting point to further explore the functional roles of specific groups of bacteria in the subway environment. This study thus introduced the information required for surveillance of microbiological impacts and their contributions to the well-being of subway commuters in Bangkok.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paopit Siriarchawatana
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, 113 Thailand Science Park, Phahonyothin Road Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Panyapon Pumkaeo
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, 113 Thailand Science Park, Phahonyothin Road Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Piyanun Harnpicharnchai
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, 113 Thailand Science Park, Phahonyothin Road Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Somsak Likhitrattanapisal
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, 113 Thailand Science Park, Phahonyothin Road Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Sermsiri Mayteeworakoon
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, 113 Thailand Science Park, Phahonyothin Road Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Worawongsin Boonsin
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, 113 Thailand Science Park, Phahonyothin Road Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Xin Zhou
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Junmin Liang
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Lei Cai
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Supawadee Ingsriswang
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, 113 Thailand Science Park, Phahonyothin Road Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
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Pochtovyi AA, Vasina DV, Verdiev BI, Shchetinin AM, Yuzhakov AG, Ovchinnikov RS, Tkachuk AP, Gushchin VA, Gintsburg AL. Microbiological Characteristics of Some Stations of Moscow Subway. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11020170. [PMID: 35205037 PMCID: PMC8869165 DOI: 10.3390/biology11020170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary Public transport facilities, including subway systems, provide the most suitable conditions for the transfer of microorganisms between people and the environment, contributing to the pathogenic potential of the urban habitat. Investigation of microbiome diversity and description of its characteristic properties, e.g., antibiotic-resistance profiles, leads to understanding of these interactions. In this study, we aimed to conduct an extended analysis of the bioaerosol and surface microbiome of the Moscow subway, using 16S rRNA gene sample sequencing and classical microbiology methods. The microbiomes of two subway stations (Novokosino and Cherkizovskaya) were reconstructed which differ in terms of passenger traffic and duration of exploitation. It was shown that most bacterial genera were ubiquitous; however, the unique genera were presented in aerosol samples. The relatively older Cherkizovskaya station possessed greater diversity in antibiotic resistance among the identified microorganisms compared to Novokosino station. We also provided a comparative analysis of these results with the previously published data, which allowed us to identify the distribution of microorganisms associated with the human microbiome and the environment regardless of the seasonal fluctuations. The obtained results provide valuable information on the diversity of bacterial communities in the Moscow subway, one of the most socially important facilities in metropolitan areas. Abstract The subway is one of the most actively used means of transport in the traffic infrastructure of large metropolitan areas. More than seven million passengers use the Moscow subway every day, which promotes the exchange of microorganisms between people and the surrounding subway environment. In this research, a study of the bacterial communities of two Moscow subway stations was conducted and the common subway microbiome was determined. However, there were differences in microbiological and antibiotic-resistance profiles, depending on the station. The station’s operational period since opening correlated with the taxonomic diversity and resistance of the identified bacteria. Moreover, differences between aerosol and surface bacterial communities were found at the two subway stations, indicating the importance of diversified sampling during the microbiome profiling of public areas. In this study, we also compared our data with previously published results obtained for the Moscow subway. Despite sample collection at different stations and seasons, we showed the presence of 15 common genera forming the core microbiome of the Moscow subway, which represents human commensal species, as well as widespread microorganisms from the surrounding environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei A. Pochtovyi
- Federal State Budget Institution “National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology Named after Honorary Academician N F Gamaleya” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia; (D.V.V.); (B.I.V.); (A.M.S.); (A.G.Y.); (R.S.O.); (A.P.T.); (A.L.G.)
- Department of Virology, Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence: (A.A.P.); (V.A.G.); Tel.: +7-499-193-30-01 (A.A.P.)
| | - Daria V. Vasina
- Federal State Budget Institution “National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology Named after Honorary Academician N F Gamaleya” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia; (D.V.V.); (B.I.V.); (A.M.S.); (A.G.Y.); (R.S.O.); (A.P.T.); (A.L.G.)
| | - Bakhtiyar I. Verdiev
- Federal State Budget Institution “National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology Named after Honorary Academician N F Gamaleya” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia; (D.V.V.); (B.I.V.); (A.M.S.); (A.G.Y.); (R.S.O.); (A.P.T.); (A.L.G.)
| | - Alexey M. Shchetinin
- Federal State Budget Institution “National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology Named after Honorary Academician N F Gamaleya” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia; (D.V.V.); (B.I.V.); (A.M.S.); (A.G.Y.); (R.S.O.); (A.P.T.); (A.L.G.)
| | - Anton G. Yuzhakov
- Federal State Budget Institution “National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology Named after Honorary Academician N F Gamaleya” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia; (D.V.V.); (B.I.V.); (A.M.S.); (A.G.Y.); (R.S.O.); (A.P.T.); (A.L.G.)
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal State Budget Scientific Institution “Federal Scientific Center VIEV”, 109428 Moscow, Russia
| | - Roman S. Ovchinnikov
- Federal State Budget Institution “National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology Named after Honorary Academician N F Gamaleya” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia; (D.V.V.); (B.I.V.); (A.M.S.); (A.G.Y.); (R.S.O.); (A.P.T.); (A.L.G.)
- Laboratory of Mycology and Antibiotics, Federal Research Center “All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Veterinary Medicine (VIEV) Named after K.I. Skryabin and Y.R. Kovalenko“ of Russian Academy of Science, 109428 Moscow, Russia
| | - Artem P. Tkachuk
- Federal State Budget Institution “National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology Named after Honorary Academician N F Gamaleya” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia; (D.V.V.); (B.I.V.); (A.M.S.); (A.G.Y.); (R.S.O.); (A.P.T.); (A.L.G.)
| | - Vladimir A. Gushchin
- Federal State Budget Institution “National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology Named after Honorary Academician N F Gamaleya” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia; (D.V.V.); (B.I.V.); (A.M.S.); (A.G.Y.); (R.S.O.); (A.P.T.); (A.L.G.)
- Department of Virology, Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence: (A.A.P.); (V.A.G.); Tel.: +7-499-193-30-01 (A.A.P.)
| | - Alexander L. Gintsburg
- Federal State Budget Institution “National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology Named after Honorary Academician N F Gamaleya” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123098 Moscow, Russia; (D.V.V.); (B.I.V.); (A.M.S.); (A.G.Y.); (R.S.O.); (A.P.T.); (A.L.G.)
- Department of Infectiology and Virology, Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education I M Sechenov, First Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University), 119435 Moscow, Russia
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10
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Zhou Y, Leung MHY, Tong X, Lee JYY, Lee PKH. City-Scale Meta-Analysis of Indoor Airborne Microbiota Reveals that Taxonomic and Functional Compositions Vary with Building Types. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:15051-15062. [PMID: 34738808 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Currently, there is a lack of understanding on the variations of the indoor airborne microbiotas of different building types within a city, and how operational taxonomic unit (OTU)- and amplicon sequence variant (ASV)-based analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequences affect interpretation of the indoor airborne microbiota results. Therefore, in this study, the indoor airborne bacterial microbiotas between commercial buildings, residences, and subways within the same city were compared using both OTU- and ASV-based analytic methods. Our findings suggested that indoor airborne bacterial microbiota compositions were significantly different between building types regardless of the bioinformatics method used. The processes of ecological drift and random dispersal consistently played significant roles in the assembly of the indoor microbiota across building types. Abundant taxa tended to be more centralized in the correlation network of each building type, highlighting their importance. Taxonomic changes between the microbiotas of different building types were also linked to changes in their inferred metabolic function capabilities. Overall, the results imply that customized strategies are necessary to manage indoor airborne bacterial microbiotas for each building type or even within each specific building.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Zhou
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Marcus H Y Leung
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xinzhao Tong
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Justin Y Y Lee
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Patrick K H Lee
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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11
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Mugadza DT, Nduku SI, Gweme E, Manhokwe S, Marume P, Mugari A, Magogo C, Jombo TZ. Drinking water quality and antibiotic resistance of E. coli and Salmonella spp. from different sources in Gweru urban, Zimbabwe. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:546. [PMID: 34338921 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09322-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The study focused on assessing drinking water quality from different sources in Gweru urban. Seventy six samples were collected from 6 different locations and analysed for physicochemical parameters and microbial quality. Bacteria isolates were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and antibiotic susceptibility was determined for 4 isolates that had been identified as Escherichia coli (2) and Salmonella spp. (2). Although most samples were within World Health Organisation limits for most parameters, none met coliform limits. pH ranged between 6.2 and 6.9. Salmonella prevalence was 2%. Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. isolates were resistant to at least three antibiotics. The study showed inconsistent water quality across the city and contamination in alternative water sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desmond Tichaona Mugadza
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Midlands State University, P. Bag 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe.
| | - Sibusisiwe Isabel Nduku
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Midlands State University, P. Bag 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe
| | - Edlyn Gweme
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Midlands State University, P. Bag 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe
| | - Sherpherd Manhokwe
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Midlands State University, P. Bag 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe
| | - Patience Marume
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Midlands State University, P. Bag 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe
| | - Amiel Mugari
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Midlands State University, P. Bag 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe
| | - Charles Magogo
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Midlands State University, P. Bag 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe
| | - Talknice Zvamaziva Jombo
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Midlands State University, P. Bag 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe
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12
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Leung MHY, Tong X, Bøifot KO, Bezdan D, Butler DJ, Danko DC, Gohli J, Green DC, Hernandez MT, Kelly FJ, Levy S, Mason-Buck G, Nieto-Caballero M, Syndercombe-Court D, Udekwu K, Young BG, Mason CE, Dybwad M, Lee PKH. Characterization of the public transit air microbiome and resistome reveals geographical specificity. MICROBIOME 2021; 9:112. [PMID: 34039416 PMCID: PMC8157753 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-021-01044-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The public transit is a built environment with high occupant density across the globe, and identifying factors shaping public transit air microbiomes will help design strategies to minimize the transmission of pathogens. However, the majority of microbiome works dedicated to the public transit air are limited to amplicon sequencing, and our knowledge regarding the functional potentials and the repertoire of resistance genes (i.e. resistome) is limited. Furthermore, current air microbiome investigations on public transit systems are focused on single cities, and a multi-city assessment of the public transit air microbiome will allow a greater understanding of whether and how broad environmental, building, and anthropogenic factors shape the public transit air microbiome in an international scale. Therefore, in this study, the public transit air microbiomes and resistomes of six cities across three continents (Denver, Hong Kong, London, New York City, Oslo, Stockholm) were characterized. RESULTS City was the sole factor associated with public transit air microbiome differences, with diverse taxa identified as drivers for geography-associated functional potentials, concomitant with geographical differences in species- and strain-level inferred growth profiles. Related bacterial strains differed among cities in genes encoding resistance, transposase, and other functions. Sourcetracking estimated that human skin, soil, and wastewater were major presumptive resistome sources of public transit air, and adjacent public transit surfaces may also be considered presumptive sources. Large proportions of detected resistance genes were co-located with mobile genetic elements including plasmids. Biosynthetic gene clusters and city-unique coding sequences were found in the metagenome-assembled genomes. CONCLUSIONS Overall, geographical specificity transcends multiple aspects of the public transit air microbiome, and future efforts on a global scale are warranted to increase our understanding of factors shaping the microbiome of this unique built environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M H Y Leung
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - X Tong
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - K O Bøifot
- Comprehensive Defence Division, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment FFI, Kjeller, Norway
- Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - D Bezdan
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - D J Butler
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - D C Danko
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - J Gohli
- Comprehensive Defence Division, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment FFI, Kjeller, Norway
| | - D C Green
- Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - M T Hernandez
- Environmental Engineering Program, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - F J Kelly
- Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - S Levy
- HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - G Mason-Buck
- Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - M Nieto-Caballero
- Environmental Engineering Program, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - D Syndercombe-Court
- Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - K Udekwu
- Department of Aquatic Sciences & Assessment, Swedish University of Agriculture, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - B G Young
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - C E Mason
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- The WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- The Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - M Dybwad
- Comprehensive Defence Division, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment FFI, Kjeller, Norway.
- Department of Analytical, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - P K H Lee
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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13
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Stewart JD, Kremer P, Shakya KM, Conway M, Saad A. Outdoor Atmospheric Microbial Diversity Is Associated With Urban Landscape Structure and Differs From Indoor-Transit Systems as Revealed by Mobile Monitoring and Three-Dimensional Spatial Analysis. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.620461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbes are abundant inhabitants of the near-surface atmosphere in urban areas. The distribution of microbial communities may benefit or hinder human wellbeing and ecosystem function. Surveys of airborne microbial diversity are uncommon in both natural and built environments and those that investigate diversity are stationary in the city, thus missing continuous exposure to microbes that covary with three-dimensional urban structure. Individuals in cities are generally mobile and would be exposed to diverse urban structures outdoors and within indoor-transit systems in a day. We used mobile monitoring of microbial diversity and geographic information system spatial analysis, across Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA in outdoor and indoor-transit (subways and train cars) environments. This study identifies to the role of the three-dimensional urban landscape in structuring atmospheric microbiomes and employs mobile monitoring over ~1,920 kilometers to measure continuous biodiversity. We found more diverse communities outdoors that significantly differ from indoor-transit air in microbial community structure, function, likely source environment, and potentially pathogenic fraction of the community. Variation in the structure of the urban landscape was associated with diversity and function of the near-surface atmospheric microbiome in outdoor samples.
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14
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Madsen AM, White JK, Markouch A, Kadhim S, de Jonge N, Thilsing T, Hansen VM, Bælum J, Nielsen JL, Vogel U, Tendal K. A cohort study of cucumber greenhouse workers' exposure to microorganisms as measured using NGS and MALDI-TOF MS and biomarkers of systemic inflammation. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 192:110325. [PMID: 33068575 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Work in greenhouses entails exposure to airborne fungi and bacteria. The aims of this study are to obtain knowledge about whether exposure to fungal and bacterial genera and species during work in a cucumber greenhouse is affected by work tasks, and whether a cohort of greenhouse workers' serum levels of serum amyloid A (SAA) and C-reactive protein (CRP), biomarkers of systemic inflammation, are associated with this. Data on personal exposure to airborne fungal and bacterial species measured over 4 years as well as serum levels of SAA and CRP sampled over two years were analyzed. For data analysis, the main work tasks were grouped into three different groups, called 'grouped work task'. Microorganisms were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF MS) and next-generation sequencing (NGS). The 'daily exposure' of greenhouse workers' were as follows: 4.8 × 104 CFU bacteria/m3, 1.4 × 106 CFU fungi/m3, and 392 EU/m3 of endotoxin. Workers were exposed to many different microbial species including several species within the genera Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Microbacterium, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, and Streptomyces. The genera Ralstonia and Cladosporium were found in most samples. The exposure levels as well as the microbial composition were associated significantly with grouped work task and season with high exposures during tasks in close contact with mature and old plants and in the autumn. CRP and SAA levels were also associated with exposure level and grouped work tasks. The Shannon-Wiener indices were not different in the 3 'grouped work tasks'. Several specific species including e.g. Halomonas elongata, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Podosphaera fusca, and Wallemia spp. were found frequently or in high concentrations in the exposures associated with the highest levels of CRP and SAA. The microorganisms S. maltophilia, P. fusca, and Wallemia spp. were also found on the cucumber plant leaves. In conclusion, both exposure level and the species composition seem to have an effect on the serum levels of CRP and SAA of exposed workers. The greenhouse workers were exposed to only a few species characterized as human pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Mette Madsen
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - John Kerr White
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220, Aalborg Ø, Denmark.
| | - Amal Markouch
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Sarah Kadhim
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Nadieh de Jonge
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220, Aalborg Ø, Denmark.
| | - Trine Thilsing
- Research Unit for General Practice, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J. B. Winsløws Vej 9, DK-5000, Odense C, Denmark.
| | - Vinni M Hansen
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Jesper Bælum
- Research Unit for General Practice, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J. B. Winsløws Vej 9, DK-5000, Odense C, Denmark.
| | - Jeppe Lund Nielsen
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220, Aalborg Ø, Denmark.
| | - Ulla Vogel
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Kira Tendal
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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15
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Grydaki N, Colbeck I, Mendes L, Eleftheriadis K, Whitby C. Bioaerosols in the Athens Metro: Metagenetic insights into the PM 10 microbiome in a naturally ventilated subway station. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 146:106186. [PMID: 33126062 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
To date, few studies have examined the aerosol microbial content in Metro transportation systems. Here we characterised the aerosol microbial abundance, diversity and composition in the Athens underground railway system. PM10 filter samples were collected from the naturally ventilated Athens Metro Line 3 station "Nomismatokopio". Quantitative PCR of the 16S rRNA gene and high throughput amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was performed on DNA extracted from PM10 samples. Results showed that, despite the bacterial abundance (mean = 2.82 × 105 16S rRNA genes/m3 of air) being, on average, higher during day-time and weekdays, compared to night-time and weekends, respectively, the differences were not statistically significant. The average PM10 mass concentration on the platform was 107 μg/m3. However, there was no significant correlation between 16S rRNA gene abundance and overall PM10 levels. The Athens Metro air microbiome was mostly dominated by bacterial and fungal taxa of environmental origin (e.g. Paracoccus, Sphingomonas, Cladosporium, Mycosphaerella, Antrodia) with a lower contribution of human commensal bacteria (e.g. Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus). This study highlights the importance of both outdoor air and commuters as sources in shaping aerosol microbial communities. To our knowledge, this is the first study to characterise the mycobiome diversity in the air of a Metro environment based on amplicon sequencing of the ITS region. In conclusion, this study presents the first microbial characterisation of PM10 in the Athens Metro, contributing to the growing body of microbiome exploration within urban transit networks. Moreover, this study shows the vulnerability of public transport to airborne disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Grydaki
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ Essex, UK
| | - I Colbeck
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ Essex, UK
| | - L Mendes
- Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety - Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory, N.C.S.R. "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece
| | - K Eleftheriadis
- Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety - Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory, N.C.S.R. "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece
| | - C Whitby
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ Essex, UK.
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16
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Li X, Chen H, Yao M. Microbial emission levels and diversities from different land use types. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 143:105988. [PMID: 32717647 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Bioaerosol particles, originated from many different earth ground sources, have unique health impacts, including respiratory infections, allergic reactions, and toxic effects. Here, we applied a portable high-flow sampler HighBioTrap to collect and investigate bioaerosol emissions from 13 different land types (forest, wetland, lake, bare soil, cropland, wastewater treatment facility, street, livestock farm, smeltery and garden) that are heavily or less affected by humans. Plate cultivation, real-time quantitative PCR analysis (q-PCR) and high-throughput gene sequencing analysis were used to characterize bacterial and fungal levels as well as their community structures emitted from different land use types. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences in biological emission levels (up to 100-fold difference) and diversity among different land use types. Cropland, sewage plant street and smeltery heavily affected by human activities were found to exhibit higher bioaerosol emission levels, with Massilia genus detected as the dominant species. In contrast, some land types (lakes, forests, gardens, and wetland) less affected by humans were found to emit lower bioaerosol levels but with higher culturability, e.g., up to 16% for wetland. In addition, the microbiological structures of these land-use types usually had higher species richness and diversity, yet different dominant species. For some land types such as streets in Beijing, the microbial community appeared to be skewed with an over 80% relative abundance of a specific dominant species such as Massilia. Other detected dominant species also included Acinetobacter and Brevundimonas for street, and Sphingomonas for wetland. For fungal community, Naganishia, Alternaria, Penicillium, and Aureobasidium were detected to be most abundant. RDA analysis showed metals and ions could to some extent affect the microbial community structures. This work highlights that the human activities could substantially affect the airborne microbiota, which in turn could affect local human health and ecosystems. On the other hand, the results here provide important references for quantitatively estimating the microbial emissions from the earth into the atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Li
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Haoxuan Chen
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Maosheng Yao
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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17
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Wu Y, Xie J, Li J, Zhao J, Qiao S, Li Y, Zeng J. Shared bicycle microbial community: a potential antibiotic-resistant bacteria warehouse. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 2020; 66:49-58. [PMID: 32888177 DOI: 10.1007/s12223-020-00820-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Shared bicycle is an emerging form of public transportation in China and around the world. However, the bacterial community and drug-resistant microbiome on these bicycles have not been reported. Samples from 10 shared bicycles were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nine samples collected from 90 shared bicycles in three different kinds of location (hospital, metro station, shopping mall) were used for full-length 16S rDNA gene analysis to figure out the bacterial composition of the shared bicycle. Samples from 32 shared bicycles were used to investigate culturable drug-resistant bacteria of the shared bicycle bacterial community. It was found that in the shared bicycle bacterial community, Bacillus was the most abundant bacteria, as determined by both SEM observation and full-length 16S rDNA gene analysis. For the analysis of drug-resistant bacteria, Bacillus showed the strongest drug resist ability. Moreover, the resistances to bacitracin and sulfamethoxazole were the most common among all types of bacteria. Our study provides an important reference for the prevention of the potential spread of drug-resistant bacteria through shared bicycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqi Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiahui Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Junyi Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Shihao Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuqing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
| | - Jumei Zeng
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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18
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Bøifot KO, Gohli J, Skogan G, Dybwad M. Performance evaluation of high-volume electret filter air samplers in aerosol microbiome research. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2020; 15:14. [PMID: 33902714 PMCID: PMC8067322 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-020-00362-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reliable identification and quantification of bioaerosols is fundamental in aerosol microbiome research, highlighting the importance of using sampling equipment with well-defined performance characteristics. Following advances in sequencing technology, shotgun metagenomic sequencing (SMS) of environmental samples is now possible. However, SMS of air samples is challenging due to low biomass, but with the use of high-volume air samplers sufficient DNA yields can be obtained. Here we investigate the sampling performance and comparability of two hand-portable, battery-operated, high-volume electret filter air samplers, SASS 3100 and ACD-200 Bobcat, previously used in SMS-based aerosol microbiome research. RESULTS SASS and Bobcat consistently delivered end-to-end sampling efficiencies > 80% during the aerosol chamber evaluation, demonstrating both as effective high-volume air samplers capable of retaining quantitative associations. Filter recovery efficiencies were investigated with manual and sampler-specific semi-automated extraction procedures. Bobcat semi-automated extraction showed reduced efficiency compared to manual extraction. Bobcat tended towards higher sampling efficiencies compared to SASS when combined with manual extraction. To evaluate real-world sampling performance, side-by-side SASS and Bobcat sampling was done in a semi-suburban outdoor environment and subway stations. SMS-based microbiome profiles revealed that highly abundant bacterial species had similar representation across samplers. While alpha diversity did not vary for the two samplers, beta diversity analyses showed significant within-pair variation in subway samples. Certain species were found to be captured only by one of the two samplers, particularly in subway samples. CONCLUSIONS SASS and Bobcat were both found capable of collecting sufficient aerosol biomass amounts for SMS, even at sampling times down to 30 min. Bobcat semi-automated filter extraction was shown to be less effective than manual filter extraction. For the most abundant species the samplers were comparable, but systematic sampler-specific differences were observed at species level. This suggests that studies conducted with these highly similar air samplers can be compared in a meaningful way, but it would not be recommended to combine samples from the two samplers in joint analyses. The outcome of this work contributes to improved selection of sampling equipment for use in SMS-based aerosol microbiome research and highlights the importance of acknowledging bias introduced by sampling equipment and sample recovery procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kari Oline Bøifot
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment FFI, P O Box 25, NO-2027, Kjeller, Norway
- Department of Analytics, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Jostein Gohli
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment FFI, P O Box 25, NO-2027, Kjeller, Norway
| | - Gunnar Skogan
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment FFI, P O Box 25, NO-2027, Kjeller, Norway
| | - Marius Dybwad
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment FFI, P O Box 25, NO-2027, Kjeller, Norway.
- Department of Analytics, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK.
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Moelling K, Broecker F. Air Microbiome and Pollution: Composition and Potential Effects on Human Health, Including SARS Coronavirus Infection. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 2020:1646943. [PMID: 32565838 PMCID: PMC7256708 DOI: 10.1155/2020/1646943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Polluted air poses a significant threat to human health. Exposure to particulate matter (PM) and harmful gases contributes to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including allergies and obstructive lung disease. Air pollution may also be linked to cancer and reduced life expectancy. Uptake of PM has been shown to cause pathological changes in the intestinal microbiota in mice and humans. Less is known about the effects of pollution-associated microbiota on human health. Several recent studies described the microbiomes of urban and rural air samples, of the stratosphere and sand particles, which can be transported over long distances, as well as the air of indoor environments. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on airborne bacterial, viral, and fungal communities and discuss their potential consequences on human health. The current data suggest that bacterial pathogens are typically too sparse and short-lived in air to pose a significant risk for infecting healthy people. However, airborne fungal spores may exacerbate allergies and asthma. Little information is available on viruses including phages, and future studies are likely to detect known and novel viruses with a yet unknown impact on human health. Furthermore, varying experimental protocols have been employed in the recent microbiome and virome studies. Therefore, standardized methodologies will be required to allow for better comparisons between studies. Air pollution has been linked to more severe outcomes of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infections. This may have contributed to severe SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks, especially those in China, Northern Italy, Iran, and New York City.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Moelling
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Broecker
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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20
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Wen Y, Leng J, Shen X, Han G, Sun L, Yu F. Environmental and Health Effects of Ventilation in Subway Stations: A Literature Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17031084. [PMID: 32046319 PMCID: PMC7037944 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17031084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Environmental health in subway stations, a typical type of urban underground space, is becoming increasingly important. Ventilation is the principal measure for optimizing the complex physical environment in a subway station. This paper narratively reviews the environmental and health effects of subway ventilation and discusses the relevant engineering, environmental, and medical aspects in combination. Ventilation exerts a notable dual effect on environmental health in a subway station. On the one hand, ventilation controls temperature, humidity, and indoor air quality to ensure human comfort and health. On the other hand, ventilation also carries the potential risks of spreading air pollutants or fire smoke through the complex wind environment as well as produces continuous noise. Assessment and management of health risks associated with subway ventilation is essential to attain a healthy subway environment. This, however, requires exposure, threshold data, and thereby necessitates more research into long-term effects, and toxicity as well as epidemiological studies. Additionally, more research is needed to further examine the design and maintenance of ventilation systems. An understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms and aerodynamic characteristics of various pollutants can help formulate ventilation strategies to reduce pollutant concentrations. Moreover, current comprehensive underground space development affords a possibility for creating flexible spaces that optimize ventilation efficiency, acoustic comfort, and space perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueming Wen
- School of Architecture, Future Underground Space Institute, Southeast University, Nanjing 210019, Jiangsu, China; (Y.W.); (G.H.); (L.S.); (F.Y.)
| | - Jiawei Leng
- School of Architecture, Future Underground Space Institute, Southeast University, Nanjing 210019, Jiangsu, China; (Y.W.); (G.H.); (L.S.); (F.Y.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-025-83790760
| | - Xiaobing Shen
- School of Public Health, Station and Train Health Institute, Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 210019, Jiangsu, China;
| | - Gang Han
- School of Architecture, Future Underground Space Institute, Southeast University, Nanjing 210019, Jiangsu, China; (Y.W.); (G.H.); (L.S.); (F.Y.)
| | - Lijun Sun
- School of Architecture, Future Underground Space Institute, Southeast University, Nanjing 210019, Jiangsu, China; (Y.W.); (G.H.); (L.S.); (F.Y.)
| | - Fei Yu
- School of Architecture, Future Underground Space Institute, Southeast University, Nanjing 210019, Jiangsu, China; (Y.W.); (G.H.); (L.S.); (F.Y.)
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21
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Hervé V, Lopez PJ. Analysis of interdomain taxonomic patterns in urban street mats. Environ Microbiol 2020; 22:1280-1293. [PMID: 31997567 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Streets are constantly crossed by billions of vehicles and pedestrians. Their gutters, which convey stormwater and contribute to waste management, and are important for human health and well-being, probably play a number of ecological roles. Street surfaces may also represent an important part of city surface areas. To better characterize the ecology of this yet poorly explored compartment, we used filtration and DNA metabarcoding to address microbial community composition and assembly across the city of Paris, France. Diverse bacterial and eukaryotic taxonomic groups were identified, including members involved in key biogeochemical processes, along with a number of parasites and putative pathogens of human, animals and plants. We showed that the beta diversity patterns between bacterial and eukaryotic communities were correlated, suggesting interdomain associations. Beta diversity analyses revealed the significance of biotic factors (cohesion metrics) in shaping gutter microbial community assembly and, to a lesser extent, the contribution of abiotic factors (pH and conductivity). Co-occurrences analysis confirmed contrasting non-random patterns both within and between domains of life, specifically when comparing diatoms and fungi. Our results highlight microbial coexistence patterns in streets and reinforce the need to further explore biodiversity in urban ground transportation infrastructures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Hervé
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Pascal Jean Lopez
- Laboratoire Biologie des ORganismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Caen Normandie, Université des Antilles, 43 rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France
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22
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Smith JD, Barratt BM, Fuller GW, Kelly FJ, Loxham M, Nicolosi E, Priestman M, Tremper AH, Green DC. PM 2.5 on the London Underground. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 134:105188. [PMID: 31787325 PMCID: PMC6902242 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Despite the London Underground (LU) handling on average 2.8 million passenger journeys per day, the characteristics and potential health effects of the elevated concentrations of metal-rich PM2.5 found in this subway system are not well understood. METHODS Spatial monitoring campaigns were carried out to characterise the health-relevant chemical and physical properties of PM2.5 across the LU network, including diurnal and day-to-day variability and spatial distribution (above ground, depth below ground and subway line). Population-weighted station PM2.5 rankings were produced to understand the relative importance of concentrations at different stations and on different lines. RESULTS The PM2.5 mass in the LU (mean 88 μg m-3, median 28 μg m-3) was greater than at ambient background locations (mean 19 μg m-3, median 14 μg m-3) and roadside environments in central London (mean 22 μg m-3, median 14 μg m-3). Concentrations varied between lines and locations, with the deepest and shallowest submerged lines being the District (median 4 μg m-3) and Victoria (median 361 μg m-3 but up to 885 μg m-3). Broadly in agreement with other subway systems around the world, sampled LU PM2.5 comprised 47% iron oxide, 7% elemental carbon, 11% organic carbon, and 14% metallic and mineral oxides. Although a relationship between line depth and air quality inside the tube trains was evident, there were clear influences relating to the distance from cleaner outside air and the exchange with cabin air when the doors open. The passenger population-weighted exposure analysis demonstrated a method to identify stations that should be prioritised for remediation to improve air quality. CONCLUSION PM2.5 concentrations in the LU are many times higher than in other London transport Environments. Failure to include this environment in epidemiological studies of the relationship between PM2.5 and health in London is therefore likely to lead to a large exposure misclassification error. Given the significant contribution of underground PM2.5 to daily exposure, and the differences in composition compared to urban PM2.5, there is a clear need for well-designed studies to better understand the health effects of underground exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- J D Smith
- MRC Centre for Environment & Health, King's College London, UK
| | - B M Barratt
- MRC Centre for Environment & Health, King's College London, UK; NIHR Health Impact of Environmental Hazards HPRU, King's College London, UK
| | - G W Fuller
- MRC Centre for Environment & Health, King's College London, UK
| | - F J Kelly
- MRC Centre for Environment & Health, King's College London, UK; NIHR Health Impact of Environmental Hazards HPRU, King's College London, UK
| | - M Loxham
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK; NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, Southampton, UK
| | - E Nicolosi
- MRC Centre for Environment & Health, King's College London, UK
| | - M Priestman
- MRC Centre for Environment & Health, King's College London, UK
| | - A H Tremper
- MRC Centre for Environment & Health, King's College London, UK
| | - D C Green
- MRC Centre for Environment & Health, King's College London, UK.
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23
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Gohli J, Bøifot KO, Moen LV, Pastuszek P, Skogan G, Udekwu KI, Dybwad M. The subway microbiome: seasonal dynamics and direct comparison of air and surface bacterial communities. MICROBIOME 2019; 7:160. [PMID: 31856911 PMCID: PMC6924074 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0772-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mass transit environments, such as subways, are uniquely important for transmission of microbes among humans and built environments, and for their ability to spread pathogens and impact large numbers of people. In order to gain a deeper understanding of microbiome dynamics in subways, we must identify variables that affect microbial composition and those microorganisms that are unique to specific habitats. METHODS We performed high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing of air and surface samples from 16 subway stations in Oslo, Norway, across all four seasons. Distinguishing features across seasons and between air and surface were identified using random forest classification analyses, followed by in-depth diversity analyses. RESULTS There were significant differences between the air and surface bacterial communities, and across seasons. Highly abundant groups were generally ubiquitous; however, a large number of taxa with low prevalence and abundance were exclusively present in only one sample matrix or one season. Among the highly abundant families and genera, we found that some were uniquely so in air samples. In surface samples, all highly abundant groups were also well represented in air samples. This is congruent with a pattern observed for the entire dataset, namely that air samples had significantly higher within-sample diversity. We also observed a seasonal pattern: diversity was higher during spring and summer. Temperature had a strong effect on diversity in air but not on surface diversity. Among-sample diversity was also significantly associated with air/surface, season, and temperature. CONCLUSIONS The results presented here provide the first direct comparison of air and surface bacterial microbiomes, and the first assessment of seasonal variation in subways using culture-independent methods. While there were strong similarities between air and surface and across seasons, we found both diversity and the abundances of certain taxa to differ. This constitutes a significant step towards understanding the composition and dynamics of bacterial communities in subways, a highly important environment in our increasingly urbanized and interconnect world. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jostein Gohli
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, P.O. Box 25, NO-2027, Kjeller, Norway.
| | - Kari Oline Bøifot
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, P.O. Box 25, NO-2027, Kjeller, Norway
- Department of Analytics, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Line Victoria Moen
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, P.O. Box 25, NO-2027, Kjeller, Norway
| | - Paulina Pastuszek
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Stockholm University, SE 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gunnar Skogan
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, P.O. Box 25, NO-2027, Kjeller, Norway
| | - Klas I Udekwu
- SoS BIOs Sweden, Tiundagatan 41, SE 752 30, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marius Dybwad
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, P.O. Box 25, NO-2027, Kjeller, Norway
- Department of Analytics, Environmental & Forensic Sciences, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK
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24
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Merino N, Zhang S, Tomita M, Suzuki H. Comparative genomics of Bacteria commonly identified in the built environment. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:92. [PMID: 30691394 PMCID: PMC6350394 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-5389-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The microbial community of the built environment (BE) can impact the lives of people and has been studied for a variety of indoor, outdoor, underground, and extreme locations. Thus far, these microorganisms have mainly been investigated by culture-based methods or amplicon sequencing. However, both methods have limitations, complicating multi-study comparisons and limiting the knowledge gained regarding in-situ microbial lifestyles. A greater understanding of BE microorganisms can be achieved through basic information derived from the complete genome. Here, we investigate the level of diversity and genomic features (genome size, GC content, replication strand skew, and codon usage bias) from complete genomes of bacteria commonly identified in the BE, providing a first step towards understanding these bacterial lifestyles. RESULTS Here, we selected bacterial genera commonly identified in the BE (or "Common BE genomes") and compared them against other prokaryotic genera ("Other genomes"). The "Common BE genomes" were identified in various climates and in indoor, outdoor, underground, or extreme built environments. The diversity level of the 16S rRNA varied greatly between genera. The genome size, GC content and GC skew strength of the "Common BE genomes" were statistically larger than those of the "Other genomes" but were not practically significant. In contrast, the strength of selected codon usage bias (S value) was statistically higher with a large effect size in the "Common BE genomes" compared to the "Other genomes." CONCLUSION Of the four genomic features tested, the S value could play a more important role in understanding the lifestyles of bacteria living in the BE. This parameter could be indicative of bacterial growth rates, gene expression, and other factors, potentially affected by BE growth conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, and nutrients). However, further experimental evidence, species-level BE studies, and classification by BE location is needed to define the relationship between genomic features and the lifestyles of BE bacteria more robustly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Merino
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.,Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Stauffer Hall of Science, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Shu Zhang
- Global Research Center for Environment and Energy based on Nanomaterials Science, National Institute for Material Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044, Japan.,Section of Infection and Immunity, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0641, USA
| | - Masaru Tomita
- Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0882, Japan.,Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0035, Japan
| | - Haruo Suzuki
- Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0882, Japan. .,Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0035, Japan.
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25
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Patel K, Bailey C, Harding AH, Biggin M, Crook B. Background levels of micro-organisms in the busy urban environment of transport hubs. J Appl Microbiol 2018; 125:1541-1551. [DOI: 10.1111/jam.14063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- K.V. Patel
- Health and Safety Executive Science Division; Buxton UK
| | - C.L. Bailey
- Health and Safety Executive Science Division; Buxton UK
| | - A.-H. Harding
- Health and Safety Executive Science Division; Buxton UK
| | - M. Biggin
- Safety Technical and Engineering; Network Rail; Milton Keynes UK
| | - B. Crook
- Health and Safety Executive Science Division; Buxton UK
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26
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Berg NW, Evans MR, Sedivy J, Testman R, Acedo K, Paone D, Long D, Osimitz TG. Safety assessment of the use of Bacillus -based cleaning products. Food Chem Toxicol 2018; 116:42-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2017.11.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/19/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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27
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Zhai Y, Li X, Wang T, Wang B, Li C, Zeng G. A review on airborne microorganisms in particulate matters: Composition, characteristics and influence factors. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2018; 113:74-90. [PMID: 29421410 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Revised: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Airborne microorganisms (AM), vital components of particulate matters (PM), are widespread in the atmosphere. Since some AM have pathogenicity, they can lead to a wide range of diseases in human and other organisms, meanwhile, some AM act as cloud condensation nuclei and ice nuclei which let them can affect the climate. The inherent characteristics of AM play critical roles in many aspects which, in turn, can decide microbial traits. The uncertain factors bring various influences on AM, which make it difficult to elaborate effect trends as whole. Because of the potential roles of AM in environment and potent effects of factors on AM, detailed knowledge of them is of primary significance. This review highlights the issues of composition and characteristics of AM with size-distribution, species diversity, variation and so on, and summarizes the main factors which affect airborne microbial features. This general information is a knowledge base for further thorough researches of AM and relevant aspects. Besides, current knowledge gaps and new perspectives are offered to roundly understand the impacts and application of AM in nature and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunbo Zhai
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China.
| | - Xue Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Tengfei Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Bei Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Caiting Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
| | - Guangming Zeng
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control, Hunan University, Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China
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Mugadza DT, Buys E. BacillusandPaenibacillusspecies associated with extended shelf life milk during processing and storage. INT J DAIRY TECHNOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1471-0307.12474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Desmond Tichaona Mugadza
- Department of Food Science; University of Pretoria; Private Bag X20 Hatfield Pretoria Gauteng 0028 South Africa
| | - Elna Buys
- Department of Food Science; University of Pretoria; Private Bag X20 Hatfield Pretoria Gauteng 0028 South Africa
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Xu B, Hao J. Air quality inside subway metro indoor environment worldwide: A review. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2017; 107:33-46. [PMID: 28651166 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 05/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The air quality in the subway metro indoor microenvironment has been of particular public concern. With specific reference to the growing demand of green transportation and sustainable development, subway metro systems have been rapidly developed worldwide in last decades. The number of metro commuters has continuously increased over recent years in metropolitan cities. In some cities, metro system has become the primary public transportation mode. Although commuters typically spend only 30-40min in metros, the air pollutants emitted from various interior components of metro system as well as air pollutants carried by ventilation supply air are significant sources of harmful air pollutants that could lead to unhealthy human exposure. Commuters' exposure to various air pollutants in metro carriages may cause perceivable health risk as reported by many environmental health studies. This review summarizes significant findings in the literature on air quality inside metro indoor environment, including pollutant concentration levels, chemical species, related sources and health risk assessment. More than 160 relevant studies performed across over 20 countries were carefully reviewed. These comprised more than 2000 individual measurement trips. Particulate matters, aromatic hydrocarbons, carbonyls and airborne bacteria have been identified as the primary air pollutants inside metro system. On this basis, future work could focus on investigating the chronic health risks of exposure to various air pollutants other than PM, and/or further developing advanced air purification unit to improve metro in-station air quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
| | - Jinliang Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
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Timperio AM, Gorrasi S, Zolla L, Fenice M. Evaluation of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and MALDI BioTyper in comparison to 16S rDNA sequencing for the identification of bacteria isolated from Arctic sea water. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181860. [PMID: 28738078 PMCID: PMC5524297 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry in association with the MALDI BioTyper 3.1 software has been evaluated for the identification and classification of 45 Arctic bacteria isolated from Kandalaksha Bay (White Sea, Russia). The high reliability of this method has been already demonstrated, in clinical microbiology, by a number of studies showing high attribution concordance with other credited analyses. Recently, it has been employed also in other branches of microbiology with controversial performance. The phyloproteomic results reported in this study were validated with those obtained by the "gold standard" 16S rDNA analysis. Concordance between the two methods was 100% at the genus level, while at the species level it was 48%. These percentages appeared to be quite high compared with other studies regarding environmental bacteria. However, the performance of MALDI BioTyper changed in relation to the taxonomical group analyzed, reflecting known identification problems related to certain genera. In our case, attribution concordance for Pseudomonas species was rather low (29%), confirming the problematic taxonomy of this genus, whereas that of strains from other genera was quite high (> 60%). Among the isolates tested in this study, two strains (Exiguobacterium oxidotolerans and Pseudomonas costantinii) were misidentified by MALDI BioTyper due to absence of reference spectra in the database. Accordingly, missing spectra were acquired for the database implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Susanna Gorrasi
- Dipartimento di Ecologia e Biologia, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Lello Zolla
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Fenice
- Dipartimento di Ecologia e Biologia, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
- Laboratorio di Microbiologia Marina Applicata, CONISMA, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Rendon RVC, Garcia BCB, Vital PG. Assessment of airborne bacteria in selected occupational environments in Quezon City, Philippines. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 2017; 72:178-183. [PMID: 27219854 DOI: 10.1080/19338244.2016.1192981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to bioaerosols has been associated with health deterioration among workers in several occupational environments. This highlights the need to study the microbiological quality of air of workplaces as no such study has been conducted yet in the Philippines. To detect and characterize the culturable mesophilic airborne bacteria in selected occupational environments we used passive sedimentation technique. It was observed that the number of colony-forming units was highest in junk shop, followed by the light railway transit station and last the office. By contrast, the bacterial composition was similar in all sites: Gram-positive cocci > Gram-positive bacilli > Gram-negative bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus spp. were also detected in all sites. These findings suggest that the presence of airborne bacteria may be a potential health hazard in urban occupational environments in the Philippines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhoshela Vi C Rendon
- a Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman , Quezon City , Philippines
| | - Bea Clarise B Garcia
- a Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman , Quezon City , Philippines
- b Natural Sciences Research Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman , Quezon City , Philippines
| | - Pierangeli G Vital
- a Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman , Quezon City , Philippines
- b Natural Sciences Research Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman , Quezon City , Philippines
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Triadó-Margarit X, Veillette M, Duchaine C, Talbot M, Amato F, Minguillón MC, Martins V, de Miguel E, Casamayor EO, Moreno T. Bioaerosols in the Barcelona subway system. INDOOR AIR 2017; 27:564-575. [PMID: 27687789 DOI: 10.1111/ina.12343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 09/23/2016] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Subway systems worldwide transport more than 100 million people daily; therefore, air quality on station platforms and inside trains is an important urban air pollution issue. We examined the microbiological composition and abundance in space and time of bioaerosols collected in the Barcelona subway system during a cold period. Quantitative PCR was used to quantify total bacteria, Aspergillus fumigatus, influenza A and B, and rhinoviruses. Multitag 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was used to assess bacterial community composition and biodiversity. The results showed low bioaerosol concentrations regarding the targeted microorganisms, although the bacterial bioburden was rather high (104 bacteria/m3 ). Airborne bacterial communities presented a high degree of overlap among the different subway environments sampled (inside trains, platforms, and lobbies) and were dominated by a few widespread taxa, with Methylobacterium being the most abundant genus. Human-related microbiota in sequence dataset and ascribed to potentially pathogenic bacteria were found in low proportion (maximum values below 2% of sequence readings) and evenly detected. Hence, no important biological exposure marker was detected in any of the sampled environments. Overall, we found that commuters are not the main source of bioaerosols in the Barcelona subway system.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Triadó-Margarit
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB), Spanish Research Council (CSIC), Blanes, Spain
| | - M Veillette
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - C Duchaine
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - M Talbot
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - F Amato
- Institute for Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - M C Minguillón
- Institute for Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - V Martins
- Institute for Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - E de Miguel
- Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, TMB Santa Eulalia, Barcelona, Spain
| | - E O Casamayor
- Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB), Spanish Research Council (CSIC), Blanes, Spain
| | - T Moreno
- Institute for Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
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Hwang SH, Jang S, Park WM, Park JB. Concentrations and identification of culturable airborne fungi in underground stations of the Seoul metro. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 23:20680-20686. [PMID: 27473614 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7291-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to measure the culturable airborne fungi (CAF) concentrations in the underground subway stations of Seoul, Korea at two time points. This study measured the CAF concentrations in enclosed environments at 16 underground stations of the Seoul Metro in 2006 and 2013 and investigated the effects of various environmental factors, including the presence of platform screen doors, temperature, relative humidity, and number of passengers. CAF concentrations at the stations in 2006 were significantly higher than that at the same stations in 2013 (p < 0.001). Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between CAF concentration and relative humidity (r = 0.311, p < 0.05). Geotrichum and Penicillium were the predominant genera. The CAF concentrations in stations with an operating supply air were significantly higher than that in stations with no supply air (p < 0.001). Therefore, it is recommended that special attention be given to stations with clean supplied air to improve the indoor air quality of these subway stations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Ho Hwang
- National Cancer Control Institute, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - Soojin Jang
- Institut Pasteur Korea, 16 Daewangpangyo-ro 712 beon-gil Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
| | - Wha Me Park
- Institute of Environmental and Industrial Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jae Bum Park
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Ajou University, School of Medicine, San 5, Woncheon-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea.
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García-Mena J, Murugesan S, Pérez-Muñoz AA, García-Espitia M, Maya O, Jacinto-Montiel M, Monsalvo-Ponce G, Piña-Escobedo A, Domínguez-Malfavón L, Gómez-Ramírez M, Cervantes-González E, Núñez-Cardona MT. Airborne Bacterial Diversity from the Low Atmosphere of Greater Mexico City. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2016; 72:70-84. [PMID: 26944561 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-016-0747-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Greater Mexico City is one of the largest urban centers in the world, with an estimated population by 2010 of more than 20 million inhabitants. In urban areas like this, biological material is present at all atmospheric levels including live bacteria. We sampled the low atmosphere in several surveys at different points by the gravity method on LB and blood agar media during winter, spring, summer, and autumn seasons in the years 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012. The colonial phenotype on blood agar showed α, β, and γ hemolytic activities among the live collected bacteria. Genomic DNA was extracted and convenient V3 hypervariable region libraries of 16S rDNA gene were high-throughput sequenced. From the data analysis, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the more abundant phyla in all surveys, while the genera from the family Enterobacteriaceae, in addition to Bacillus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Acinetobacter spp., Erwinia spp., Gluconacetobacter spp., Proteus spp., Exiguobacterium spp., and Staphylococcus spp. were also abundant. From this study, we conclude that it is possible to detect live airborne nonspore-forming bacteria in the low atmosphere of GMC, associated to the microbial cloud of its inhabitants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime García-Mena
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Selvasankar Murugesan
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ashael Alfredo Pérez-Muñoz
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Matilde García-Espitia
- Escuela Nacional de Medicina y Homeopatía del IPN, Guillermo Massieu Helguera 239, 07320, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Otoniel Maya
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Monserrat Jacinto-Montiel
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Giselle Monsalvo-Ponce
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Alberto Piña-Escobedo
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Lilianha Domínguez-Malfavón
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Marlenne Gómez-Ramírez
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- CICATA-Querétaro, Cerro Blanco 141, Colinas del Cimatario, 76090, Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Elsa Cervantes-González
- Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, 78700, Matehuala, Mexico
| | - María Teresa Núñez-Cardona
- Departamento El Hombre y su Ambiente, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso 1100, 04960, Ciudad de México, Mexico
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Phat C, Kim S, Park J, Lee C. Detection of Emetic Toxin Genes inBacillus cereusIsolated from Food and their Production of Cereulide in Liquid Culture. J Food Saf 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jfs.12293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chanvorleak Phat
- School of Food Science and Technology; Chung-Ang University; Anseong-Si Gyeonggi-Do 456-756 Republic of Korea
| | - Suhwan Kim
- School of Food Science and Technology; Chung-Ang University; Anseong-Si Gyeonggi-Do 456-756 Republic of Korea
| | - Juhee Park
- School of Food Science and Technology; Chung-Ang University; Anseong-Si Gyeonggi-Do 456-756 Republic of Korea
| | - Chan Lee
- School of Food Science and Technology; Chung-Ang University; Anseong-Si Gyeonggi-Do 456-756 Republic of Korea
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Kondakova T, Catovic C, Barreau M, Nusser M, Brenner-Weiss G, Chevalier S, Dionnet F, Orange N, Poc CD. Response to Gaseous NO2 Air Pollutant of P. fluorescens Airborne Strain MFAF76a and Clinical Strain MFN1032. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:379. [PMID: 27065229 PMCID: PMC4814523 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Human exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), an air pollutant of increasing interest in biology, results in several toxic effects to human health and also to the air microbiota. The aim of this study was to investigate the bacterial response to gaseous NO2. Two Pseudomonas fluorescens strains, namely the airborne strain MFAF76a and the clinical strain MFN1032 were exposed to 0.1, 5, or 45 ppm concentrations of NO2, and their effects on bacteria were evaluated in terms of motility, biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, as well as expression of several chosen target genes. While 0.1 and 5 ppm of NO2did not lead to any detectable modification in the studied phenotypes of the two bacteria, several alterations were observed when the bacteria were exposed to 45 ppm of gaseous NO2. We thus chose to focus on this high concentration. NO2-exposed P. fluorescens strains showed reduced swimming motility, and decreased swarming in case of the strain MFN1032. Biofilm formed by NO2-treated airborne strain MFAF76a showed increased maximum thickness compared to non-treated cells, while NO2 had no apparent effect on the clinical MFN1032 biofilm structure. It is well known that biofilm and motility are inversely regulated by intracellular c-di-GMP level. The c-di-GMP level was however not affected in response to NO2 treatment. Finally, NO2-exposed P. fluorescens strains were found to be more resistant to ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol. Accordingly, the resistance nodulation cell division (RND) MexEF-OprN efflux pump encoding genes were highly upregulated in the two P. fluorescens strains. Noticeably, similar phenotypes had been previously observed following a NO treatment. Interestingly, an hmp-homolog gene in P. fluorescens strains MFAF76a and MFN1032 encodes a NO dioxygenase that is involved in NO detoxification into nitrites. Its expression was upregulated in response to NO2, suggesting a possible common pathway between NO and NO2 detoxification. Taken together, our study provides evidences for the bacterial response to NO2 toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Kondakova
- Laboratory of Microbiology Signals and Microenvironment EA 4312, Normandy University, University of Rouen, SéSa, IRIBEvreux, France; Aerothermic and Internal Combustion Engine Technological Research CentreSaint Etienne du Rouvray, France
| | - Chloé Catovic
- Laboratory of Microbiology Signals and Microenvironment EA 4312, Normandy University, University of Rouen, SéSa, IRIB Evreux, France
| | - Magalie Barreau
- Laboratory of Microbiology Signals and Microenvironment EA 4312, Normandy University, University of Rouen, SéSa, IRIB Evreux, France
| | - Michael Nusser
- Institute of Functional Interfaces, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Gerald Brenner-Weiss
- Institute of Functional Interfaces, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Sylvie Chevalier
- Laboratory of Microbiology Signals and Microenvironment EA 4312, Normandy University, University of Rouen, SéSa, IRIB Evreux, France
| | - Frédéric Dionnet
- Aerothermic and Internal Combustion Engine Technological Research Centre Saint Etienne du Rouvray, France
| | - Nicole Orange
- Laboratory of Microbiology Signals and Microenvironment EA 4312, Normandy University, University of Rouen, SéSa, IRIB Evreux, France
| | - Cécile Duclairoir Poc
- Laboratory of Microbiology Signals and Microenvironment EA 4312, Normandy University, University of Rouen, SéSa, IRIB Evreux, France
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Paquet VE, Charette SJ. Amoeba-resisting bacteria found in multilamellar bodies secreted by Dictyostelium discoideum: social amoebae can also package bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2016; 92:fiw025. [PMID: 26862140 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiw025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many bacteria can resist phagocytic digestion by various protozoa. Some of these bacteria (all human pathogens) are known to be packaged in multilamellar bodies produced in the phagocytic pathway of the protozoa and that are secreted into the extracellular milieu. Packaged bacteria are protected from harsh conditions, and the packaging process is suspected to promote bacterial persistence in the environment. To date, only a limited number of protozoa, belonging to free-living amoebae and ciliates, have been shown to perform bacteria packaging. It is still unknown if social amoebae can do bacteria packaging. The link between the capacity of 136 bacterial isolates to resist the grazing of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum and to be packaged by this amoeba was investigated in the present study. The 45 bacterial isolates displaying a resisting phenotype were tested for their capacity to be packaged. A total of seven isolates from Cupriavidus, Micrococcus, Microbacterium and Rathayibacter genera seemed to be packaged and secreted by D. discoideum based on immunofluorescence results. Electron microscopy confirmed that the Cupriavidus and Rathayibacter isolates were formally packaged. These results show that social amoebae can package some bacteria from the environment revealing a new aspect of microbial ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie E Paquet
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Pavillon Charles-Eugène-Marchand, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Hôpital Laval, Quebec City, QC, G1V 4G5, Canada
| | - Steve J Charette
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Pavillon Charles-Eugène-Marchand, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Hôpital Laval, Quebec City, QC, G1V 4G5, Canada Département de biochimie, de microbiologie et de bio-informatique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
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Rønning HT, Madslien EH, Asp TN, Granum PE. Identification and quantification of lichenysin - a possible source of food poisoning. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess 2015; 32:2120-30. [PMID: 26414385 DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2015.1096967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Lichenysin produced by 53 different Bacillus licheniformis strains has been structurally examined with a qualitative liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method using quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The same lichenysin isoforms are produced from all strains, indicating that the growth conditions have a stronger influence on the lipopeptide production than the genotype. A rapid method for the quantification of lichenysin from bacterial cell cultures with LC-MS/MS after a simple methanol extraction has been refined. For the first time commercially available lichenysin has been used as calibrant, making quantification more accurate. The trueness for C15-lichenysin has been improved to 94% using matrix-matched calibration with lichenysin compared with 30% using solvent calibration with surfactin. The quantitative method was fully validated based on Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The LOD of the method was below 1 µg g(-1) and the repeatability ranged from 10% to 16%.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elisabeth Henie Madslien
- b Forsvarets forskningsinstitutt FFI , Norwegian Defence Research Establishment , Kjeller , Norway
| | - Tone Normann Asp
- a School of Veterinary Science , Norwegian University of Life Sciences , Oslo , Norway
| | - Per Einar Granum
- a School of Veterinary Science , Norwegian University of Life Sciences , Oslo , Norway
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Fykse EM, Tjärnhage T, Humppi T, Eggen VS, Ingebretsen A, Skogan G, Olofsson G, Wästerby P, Gradmark PÅ, Larsson A, Dybwad M, Blatny JM. Identification of airborne bacteria by 16S rDNA sequencing, MALDI-TOF MS and the MIDI microbial identification system. AEROBIOLOGIA 2015; 31:271-281. [PMID: 32214629 PMCID: PMC7087874 DOI: 10.1007/s10453-015-9363-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Accepted: 01/09/2015] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to collect and identify airborne bacteria in Norway, Sweden and Finland and to compare three different technologies for identifying collected airborne bacterial isolates: the "gold standard" method 16S rDNA sequencing, MALDI-TOF MS using the MALDI Biotyper 2.0 and the MIDI Sherlock® Microbial Identification System (MIDI MIS system). Airborne bacteria were collected during three different periods from May to October 2009 using air sampling directly on agar plates. A total of 140 isolates were collected during three sampling campaigns, and 74 % (103) of these isolates were analyzed by all three methods. The dominant genera in Norway and Finland were the gram-positive bacteria Bacillus and Staphylococcus, whereas the gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter was the dominant genus in Sweden. Using 16S rDNA sequencing, MALDI-TOF MS and MIDI MIS analysis, 83, 79 and 75 %, respectively, of the isolates were identified and assigned to order or higher taxonomic levels. In this study, the MALDI-TOF MS combining with the MALDI Biotyper 2.0 classification tool was demonstrated to be a fast and reliable alternative for identifying the airborne bacterial isolates. These studies have increased knowledge about the airborne bacterial background in outdoor air, which can be useful for evaluating and improving the operational performance of biological detectors in various environments. To our knowledge, this is the first time that 16S rDNA sequencing, MALDI-TOF MS and MIDI MIS analysis technologies have been compared for their efficiency in identifying airborne bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Else Marie Fykse
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), P.O. Box 25, 2027 Kjeller, Norway
| | | | - Tarmo Humppi
- Defence Forces Technical Research Centre, CBRN Defence (PvTT), Lakiala, Finland
| | - Vilde Sørvik Eggen
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), P.O. Box 25, 2027 Kjeller, Norway
| | | | - Gunnar Skogan
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), P.O. Box 25, 2027 Kjeller, Norway
| | | | - Pär Wästerby
- Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), Umeå, Sweden
| | | | | | - Marius Dybwad
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), P.O. Box 25, 2027 Kjeller, Norway
| | - Janet Martha Blatny
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), P.O. Box 25, 2027 Kjeller, Norway
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Angelakis E, Yasir M, Azhar EI, Papadioti A, Bibi F, Aburizaiza AS, Metidji S, Memish ZA, Ashshi AM, Hassan AM, Harakeh S, Gautret P, Raoult D. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and identification of new bacteria species in air samples from Makkah, Saudi Arabia. BMC Res Notes 2014; 7:892. [PMID: 25491533 PMCID: PMC4295573 DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-7-892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the Hajj season, respiratory symptoms are very common among pilgrims. Here, we investigated the viable bacterial population in air samples collected around the slaughterhouses used during the Hajj. METHODS AND RESULTS We collected air samples on three days from four different sites: slaughterhouses at Al-Kakia, Al-Meaisim and Al-Sharaia, and from a waste disposal area designated for the remnants of slaughter. Samples were cultured on blood agar plates for 48 h, and bacterial isolates were identified using MALDI-TOF MS. A dendrogram using the spectra of the unidentified bacterial species was constructed, and PCR amplification and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was performed for one isolate per cluster. In total, 2500 colonies appeared on the nutrient agar plates, and 244 were purified for further analysis. Good identification was obtained for 202 (83%) isolates by MALDI-TOF MS. The most common genera were Bacillus (n=94, 45%) and Staphyloccocus (n=55, 26%). Poor identification was obtained for 42 (17%) isolates, and their spectra clustering revealed that these isolates belonged to 10 species. Four of these were considered to be new species. CONCLUSIONS During the Hajj, the air was contaminated by many environmental bacterial agents, and MALDI-TOF MS was successfully adapted for their rapid identification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Didier Raoult
- URMITE CNRS-IRD 198 UMR 6236, Université de la Méditerranée, Faculté de Médecine, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille, France.
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Berchebru L, Rameil P, Gaudin JC, Gausson S, Larigauderie G, Pujol C, Morel Y, Ramisse V. Normalization of test and evaluation of biothreat detection systems: Overcoming microbial air content fluctuations by using a standardized reagent bacterial mixture. J Microbiol Methods 2014; 105:141-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2014.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2014] [Revised: 07/09/2014] [Accepted: 07/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Indoor-air microbiome in an urban subway network: diversity and dynamics. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 80:6760-70. [PMID: 25172855 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02244-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Subway systems are indispensable for urban societies, but microbiological characteristics of subway aerosols are relatively unknown. Previous studies investigating microbial compositions in subways employed methodologies that underestimated the diversity of microbial exposure for commuters, with little focus on factors governing subway air microbiology, which may have public health implications. Here, a culture-independent approach unraveling the bacterial diversity within the urban subway network in Hong Kong is presented. Aerosol samples from multiple subway lines and outdoor locations were collected. Targeting the 16S rRNA gene V4 region, extensive taxonomic diversity was found, with the most common bacterial genera in the subway environment among those associated with skin. Overall, subway lines harbored different phylogenetic communities based on α- and β-diversity comparisons, and closer inspection suggests that each community within a line is dependent on architectural characteristics, nearby outdoor microbiomes, and connectedness with other lines. Microbial diversities and assemblages also varied depending on the day sampled, as well as the time of day, and changes in microbial communities between peak and nonpeak commuting hours were attributed largely to increases in skin-associated genera in peak samples. Microbial diversities within the subway were influenced by temperature and relative humidity, while carbon dioxide levels showed a positive correlation with abundances of commuter-associated genera. This Hong Kong data set and communities from previous studies conducted in the United States formed distinct community clusters, indicating that additional work is required to unravel the mechanisms that shape subway microbiomes around the globe.
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Toxin production and growth of pathogens subjected to temperature fluctuations simulating consumer handling of cold cuts. Int J Food Microbiol 2014; 185:82-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2014.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2013] [Revised: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 05/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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44
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Guidance on the assessment of the toxigenic potential of Bacillus species used in animal nutrition. EFSA J 2014. [DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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45
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Wei T, Ishida R, Miyanaga K, Tanji Y. Seasonal variations in bacterial communities and antibiotic-resistant strains associated with green bottle flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2014; 98:4197-208. [PMID: 24413921 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-013-5498-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2013] [Revised: 12/14/2013] [Accepted: 12/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Green bottle flies occur frequently around human environments in Japan. Many species of green bottle flies have been studied with regard to their importance in forensic examinations or clinical therapies, but the bacterial communities associated with this group of flies have not been comprehensively investigated. In this research, 454 pyrosequencing was used to reveal the bacterial communities in green bottle flies collected in different seasons. Meanwhile, the bacteria were screened with selective media and tested for antibiotic susceptibility. Samples collected in three different seasons harbored distinctive bacterial communities. The predominant genera associated with green bottles flies were Staphylococcus in spring, Ignatzschineria in summer, and Vagococcus, Dysgonomonas, and an unclassified Acetobacteraceae in autumn. An upward trend in bacterial community diversity was observed from spring to autumn. Changes in climatic conditions could be the cause of these seasonal variations in fly-associated bacterial communities. The species of isolated antibiotic-resistant bacteria also differed across seasons, but it was difficult to correlate seasonal changes in antibiotic-resistant bacteria with changes in whole communities. A number of multiple-antibiotic-resistant bacteria were isolated, and some of these strains were closely affiliated with pathogens such as Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium, which could cause serious threats to public health. Overall, this research provided us with information about the composition and seasonality of bacterial communities in green bottle flies, and highlighted the risks of fly-mediated dissemination of antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Wei
- Department of Bioengineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 J2-15 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8501, Japan
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Temporal variability of the bioaerosol background at a subway station: concentration level, size distribution, and diversity of airborne bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2013; 80:257-70. [PMID: 24162566 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02849-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Naturally occurring bioaerosol environments may present a challenge to biological detection-identification-monitoring (BIODIM) systems aiming at rapid and reliable warning of bioterrorism incidents. One way to improve the operational performance of BIODIM systems is to increase our understanding of relevant bioaerosol backgrounds. Subway stations are enclosed public environments which may be regarded as potential bioterrorism targets. This study provides novel information concerning the temporal variability of the concentration level, size distribution, and diversity of airborne bacteria in a Norwegian subway station. Three different air samplers were used during a 72-h sampling campaign in February 2011. The results suggested that the airborne bacterial environment was stable between days and seasons, while the intraday variability was found to be substantial, although often following a consistent diurnal pattern. The bacterial levels ranged from not detected to 10(3) CFU m(-3) and generally showed increased levels during the daytime compared to the nighttime levels, as well as during rush hours compared to non-rush hours. The airborne bacterial levels showed rapid temporal variation (up to 270-fold) on some occasions, both consistent and inconsistent with the diurnal profile. Airborne bacterium-containing particles were distributed between different sizes for particles of >1.1 μm, although ∼50% were between 1.1 and 3.3 μm. Anthropogenic activities (mainly passengers) were demonstrated as major sources of airborne bacteria and predominantly contributed 1.1- to 3.3-μm bacterium-containing particles. Our findings contribute to the development of realistic testing and evaluation schemes for BIODIM equipment by providing information that may be used to simulate operational bioaerosol backgrounds during controlled aerosol chamber-based challenge tests with biological threat agents.
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Kawasaki T, Kyotani T, Ushiogi T, Lee H. Distribution of airborne bacteria in railway stations in Tokyo, Japan. J Occup Health 2013; 55:495-502. [PMID: 24025860 DOI: 10.1539/joh.13-0055-fs] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We performed the current study to (1) understand the distribution of culturable airborne bacteria over a one-year monitoring period, (2) confirm places in stations where airborne bacteria are highly detected, (3) understand the factors that affect concentrations of airborne bacteria and (4) compare the distributions of airborne bacteria and fungi in railway stations in Japan. METHODS Measurements of airborne bacteria were taken at stations A and B located in Tokyo. Station A had under- and above-ground concourses and platforms, whereas station B had spaces only above-ground. Airborne bacteria at each measurement position were collected with an air sampler on plate count agar media. After cultivation of the sampled media, the number of bacteria colonies was counted on each media. RESULTS (1) Airborne bacteria were highly detected in the above-ground concourse in station A. Almost all the indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) ratios of concentrations of airborne bacteria in the above-ground concourse in station A were higher than one throughout the year and were especially high in summer. (2) The factor that affects the concentrations of airborne bacteria seems to be the number of railway customers, not humidity. (3) The characteristics of the distributions of airborne bacteria and fungi were different, even though they were sampled in the same stations on the same days. CONCLUSIONS In the case of controlling indoor air quality of stations in the future, the locations in railway stations that would require control of indoor air quality differ between airborne bacteria or fungi, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamami Kawasaki
- Biotechnology Laboratory, Railway Technical Research Institute
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48
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Zhou F, Wang Y. Characteristics of antibiotic resistance of airborne Staphylococcus isolated from metro stations. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2013; 10:2412-26. [PMID: 23765189 PMCID: PMC3717744 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph10062412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2013] [Revised: 05/31/2013] [Accepted: 06/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This study focused on the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a metro system as an example of a public transportation system. The molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus were investigated to discern which strains were isolated from metro stations in Shanghai. These were compared with strains isolated from hospital treatment rooms and parks. Airborne Staphylococcus samples in the metro were resistant to an average of 2.64 antibiotic types, and 58.0% of the strain samples were resistant to at least three antibiotics; this was a significantly higher rate than strains from the park, but was lower than those from hospitals. The presence of two antibiotic resistance genes of Staphylococcus strains, mecA (28.0%) and qac (40.0%), were also found at significantly higher levels in metro samples than park samples, but did not differ significantly from hospital samples. Furthermore, 22.0% of the metro Staphylococcus samples were found to be biofilm-positive. The high rate of antibiotic resistance found in Staphylococcus samples collected from metro stations, and the discovery of antibiotic-resistant genes, indicate that the closed indoor environment and crowded passengers may accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistant strains. More attention should be paid to the inspection and control of antibiotic resistant strains in public transportation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Zhou
- Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; E-Mail:
| | - Yuyan Wang
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +86-21-5423-7219; Fax: +86-21-5423-7122
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Schiwon K, Arends K, Rogowski KM, Fürch S, Prescha K, Sakinc T, Van Houdt R, Werner G, Grohmann E. Comparison of antibiotic resistance, biofilm formation and conjugative transfer of Staphylococcus and Enterococcus isolates from International Space Station and Antarctic Research Station Concordia. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2013; 65:638-51. [PMID: 23411852 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-013-0193-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2012] [Accepted: 01/27/2013] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The International Space Station (ISS) and the Antarctic Research Station Concordia are confined and isolated habitats in extreme and hostile environments. The human and habitat microflora can alter due to the special environmental conditions resulting in microbial contamination and health risk for the crew. In this study, 29 isolates from the ISS and 55 from the Antarctic Research Station Concordia belonging to the genera Staphylococcus and Enterococcus were investigated. Resistance to one or more antibiotics was detected in 75.8 % of the ISS and in 43.6 % of the Concordia strains. The corresponding resistance genes were identified by polymerase chain reaction in 86 % of the resistant ISS strains and in 18.2 % of the resistant Concordia strains. Plasmids are present in 86.2 % of the ISS and in 78.2 % of the Concordia strains. Eight Enterococcus faecalis strains (ISS) harbor plasmids of about 130 kb. Relaxase and/or transfer genes encoded on plasmids from gram-positive bacteria like pIP501, pRE25, pSK41, pGO1 and pT181 were detected in 86.2 % of the ISS and in 52.7 % of the Concordia strains. Most pSK41-homologous transfer genes were detected in ISS isolates belonging to coagulase-negative staphylococci. We demonstrated through mating experiments that Staphylococcus haemolyticus F2 (ISS) and the Concordia strain Staphylococcus hominis subsp. hominis G2 can transfer resistance genes to E. faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Biofilm formation was observed in 83 % of the ISS and in 92.7 % of the Concordia strains. In conclusion, the ISS isolates were shown to encode more resistance genes and possess a higher gene transfer capacity due to the presence of three vir signature genes, virB1, virB4 and virD4 than the Concordia isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Schiwon
- Department of Environmental Microbiology/Genetics, Technical University, Berlin, Germany
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Culture-independent analysis of aerosol microbiology in a metropolitan subway system. Appl Environ Microbiol 2013; 79:3485-93. [PMID: 23542619 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00331-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of this study was to determine the composition and diversity of microorganisms associated with bioaerosols in a heavily trafficked metropolitan subway environment. We collected bioaerosols by fluid impingement on several New York City subway platforms and associated sites in three sampling sessions over a 1.5-year period. The types and quantities of aerosolized microorganisms were determined by culture-independent phylogenetic analysis of small-subunit rRNA gene sequences by using both Sanger (universal) and pyrosequencing (bacterial) technologies. Overall, the subway bacterial composition was relatively simple; only 26 taxonomic families made up ~75% of the sequences determined. The microbiology was more or less similar throughout the system and with time and was most similar to outdoor air, consistent with highly efficient air mixing in the system. Identifiable bacterial sequences indicated that the subway aerosol assemblage was composed of a mixture of genera and species characteristic of soil, environmental water, and human skin commensal bacteria. Eukaryotic diversity was mainly fungal, dominated by organisms of types associated with wood rot. Human skin bacterial species (at 99% rRNA sequence identity) included the Staphylococcus spp. Staphylococcus epidermidis (the most abundant and prevalent commensal of the human integument), S. hominis, S. cohnii, S. caprae, and S. haemolyticus, all well-documented human commensal bacteria. We encountered no organisms of public health concern. This study is the most extensive culture-independent survey of subway microbiota so far and puts in place pre-event information required for any bioterrorism surveillance activities or monitoring of the microbiological impact of recent subway flooding events.
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