Halophilic & halotolerant prokaryotes in humans

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Environmental Science
• Human Health

Background:

• Halophilic prokaryotes thrive in high-salt environments.
• Understanding their presence in humans is crucial for public health.
• This study focuses on halotolerant and halophilic bacteria isolated from human samples.

Purpose of the Study:

• To catalog and classify halophilic prokaryotes found in human isolates.
• To determine the prevalence of different halophilic categories (slight, moderate, extreme).
• To assess the pathogenic potential of these bacteria.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and compilation of existing data on halophilic prokaryotes in humans.
• Classification of isolates based on salinity tolerance.
• Phylogenetic analysis to determine phylum-level distribution.
• Risk group classification based on pathogenicity.

Main Results:

• 52 halophilic prokaryotes were identified in humans.
• The majority were moderately halophilic (61.54%), followed by slightly (32.69%) and extremely halophilic (5.76%).
• Firmicutes (54.72%) and Proteobacteria (28.84%) were the dominant phyla.
• Most species were non-pathogenic; only a small fraction belonged to Risk Group 2 (3.92%) and Risk Group 3 (1.96%).

Conclusions:

• Halophilic prokaryotes are present in human environments.
• The majority of human-associated halophilic prokaryotes are moderately halophilic and belong to Firmicutes.
• These microorganisms pose a low pathogenic risk to humans.