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Updated: May 2, 2026
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Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations
Published on: October 29, 2016
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Bacterial communities on classroom surfaces vary with human contact
James F Meadow1, Adam E Altrichter, Steven W Kembel
1Biology and the Built Environment Center, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, 5389 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA. jfmeadow@gmail.com.
Microbiome
|March 8, 2014
Summary
Human interactions, not surface proximity, shape indoor bacterial communities in classrooms. This suggests direct and indirect human contact is key to understanding the built environment microbiome.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Built Environment Science
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Humans spend most time indoors, yet interactions between human and built-environment microbiomes are poorly understood.
- Forces driving microbial community assembly within indoor spaces remain largely unknown.
- Research is needed to understand microbial dynamics in shared indoor environments like classrooms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether bacterial communities on classroom surfaces are influenced by human interactions or spatial proximity.
- To identify the primary drivers of microbial community assembly on different indoor surfaces.
- To compare classroom microbial data with potential source environments.
Main Methods:
- Sampled 16S rRNA genes from four distinct surface types in a university classroom.
- Analyzed bacterial assemblages to determine predictors of community composition.
- Compared findings with publicly available datasets from potential source environments.
Main Results:
- Bacterial assemblages and individual taxa on surfaces correlated with the type of human contact.
- Spatial proximity between surfaces did not predict bacterial community composition.
- Microbial communities reflected different source pools related to specific human activities.
Conclusions:
- Human-associated microbes transfer to indoor surfaces through direct and indirect contact.
- Human interaction is a significant factor in shaping indoor microbial communities.
- Proximity of surfaces does not influence the composition of bacterial communities in this context.
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