Longitudinal Analysis of Microbial Interaction Between Humans And The Indoor Environment - Case Study Example

Longitudinal Analysis of Microbial Interaction Between Humans And The Indoor Environment (Web. Science Daily) Introduction Microbes are indispensiblemodule of our environment. They are associated in a variety of ways with everything we use in our everyday lives. They are found to be associated with the food that we eat, the clothes we wear/make use of and water we drink/utilize. They may perhaps influence the quality of our lives. Food items may be contaminated during the handling process, surroundings and the sanitary conditions where they are kept. On the other hand, dish cloth may harbor other micro-organisms since even the tiny food particle serves as a medium for the augmentation of microorganisms and this growth may cause the food decomposition and spoilage. Food and water may also carry pathogenic microbes and as a result transmit disease. It is therefore essential to understand the microbes linked with commodities and home, which is considered as a fortress harboring millions of microorganisms. Microbiological assessment of microorganisms in homes and apartments highlight a complex interaction between residents of house and microorganisms that are present on and around the residents and are carried with them where they move. Thus, these swarming microscopic communities play vital role in fixing on the health and disease conditions, transmission as well as treatment of the disease. In this era of urbanization, overcrowding is prevailing; confining individuals to the indoor environment as a result a person is constantly interacting with the microbiota of home and also mediates their transmission while moving out from the home. Microbiota of the individual is like fingerprint which gets transmitted to the new location through respiration, skin shedding, contact with commodities such as a coffee mug, door handles called as skin-surface. Skin surface harbor trillions of microorganisms and thus transfer them in every activity. Implications of Microbiota The diversity of home microbiota directly influences the health conditions and immune defense of the inhabitants thereby providing a road map to the health conditions of the home. Considering the serious implication of microorganisms present in an indoor environment on the health of the inhabitants, Lax et al., (2014) carried out a detailed analysis of microorganisms present in the indoor environment, the homes. The study aimed to understand the intricate interaction between microbes in the closed environment of home and inhabitants. Microbial Similarities and Differences The study encompassed seven ethnically diverse families of United States. Their homes were also monitored for six weeks along with the eighteen participants (the inhabitants of the houses), three dogs and a cat. The study involved collection of sample from three families immediately before and after their shifting to the new location. The eighteen participants used to provide samples b swabbing their noses, hands and feet to understand the microbial population living they possess. The samples were also collected from the surface of various commodities encompassing floors, doorknobs and light switches which are touched by individuals frequently. A DNA analysis of the samples was performed in order to characterize the diversification of microbial population present in each sample. The study reported that the microbial community was found to be different in different houses to a significant level of (P < 0.0001). The samples collected from the hands and bare foot were found to be similar to those collected from the floors of the house with greater propensity in kitchen and bedroom floors. Thus, each family has their own microbial signatures. Individuals sharing a home were therefore more microbially similar as compared to those who are not sharing the home. The study found that foot samples were found to be differentiated to a greater extent while hand samples were found to be differentiated the least. It is evident that three families were moved to the new location but within a span of a day their new house was microbially similar to their previous location. However, it is manifested that close and regular physical contact between members of the family such as between married couples; their offsprings share great number of microbiota. As members of the family frequently touch household commodities, switches and doorknobs, their hands share similar microbiota while the noses of the family members displayed individual dissimilarities. Role of Pets in Home The situation was found to be changed when the house involved pets. The samples collected from these houses involved greater number of plants and soil bacteria as the pets move in and out of the houses. Pathogenic Microbiota Pathogenic Enterobacter was found in one of the samples, which was tracked and reported to be transmitted from the hand of the one family member to another member of the family through the kitchen counter. Indicating that all the individuals are exposed to the plethora of microorganisms including the pathogenic ones but the individuals’ combat disease only when the immunity is reduced or the functioning of the immune system is disrupted. The research study also highlighted the fact that samples collected during the course of study served as a forensic tool. Just by looking at the sample one could potentially identify the family/ source of the sample. However, the study suggests that microbiota shifts with the members, when the members of the family residing in one house leave and shift to some other location, a shift in microbiota is also observed. Theoretically, it could be identified whether a person resided in that place or not and how lately the movement is made. Moreover, even if inhabitants are genetically dissimilar but by simply residing under the same roof, they are liable to share the same kind of microbiota. Major Microorganisms Reported in the Study The study reported that human samples were rich in transposable elements as well as in phages. When the samples were taxonomically analyzed, Corynebacteria was found to be present on all human samples. Corynebacteria along with Enhydrobacter sp. and Streptococcus sp. were found on the samples collected from bathroom door knobs. Enterobacter sp. were found to be present on the kitchen counter and also on the hands of two participants. However, uncultivated Enterobacteraceae and Acinetobacter and their related bacteriophage were associated with the samples collected from kitchen counter. They are found to share 99.7 and 99.9 percent 16S rRNA gene sequences with opportunistic human pathogens namely Pantoea agglomerans and Acinetobacter baumanii. Moreover, similarities were also found between the genes associated with the resistance for antibiotics and pathogenicity. Considering such a plethora of the whole bacterial community, it can be inferred that as much as 84 percent of the genes were shared between hands and countertops highlighting the fact that multi-organism transference persists between surfaces. Conclusion The study carried out by Lax et al. (2014) is a longitudinal analysis of microbial communities associated with the home environment. The study draws attention towards the interaction between microorganisms and human, home environment and pets. However, this kind of interaction could play an imperative role on health of the inhabitants both humans and animals. It is evident from the study that every home possesses a microbial fingerprint which can be predicted from the samples collected from the inhabitants/ occupants and from home commodities. The study is unique, it shows the presence of microbial aura around the individual and wherever a person goes, the microbial aura moves along as a result even the new environment looks the same as the previous one. Knowing the microbiota of one family, the family could be traced or through the microbiota one can analyze to which family the microbial sample belongs. Thus, there exists a close relationship between the household bacterial population and the inhabitants. Such interaction directly implies the health implications of the family. Deleterious effects are observed if the immunity is poor and pathogens are thriving in the home environment. The study is important to understand the repeated health predicaments suffered by any family at frequent intervals and therefore it is a great step to safeguard inhabitants from health quandaries. Works Cited “Science Daily”. Web. 29 November 2014. . Lax, S., Smith, D P., Marcell, J H., Owens, S. M., et al. “Longitudinal analysis of microbial interaction between humans and he indoor environment”. Science, 345(6200), 1048- 1052. 2014. Print Read More