Uncovering the hidden microbiota in hospital and built environments: New approaches and solutions

Research concerning the microbiome of indoor environments like hospitals, houses or buildings could have several implications for human health. Today, there is an ongoing shift in the paradigm of microbial analysis, from single isolated bacterial samples to entire microbiome profiles using high-throughput DNA sequencing methods. The use of sequencing methods in several studies has revealed an unprecedented microbial diversity in indoor environments, leading to a larger comprehension of the entire microbiome context. Here, we present a review of these microbiome studies using high-throughput DNA sequencing, including some new approaches and ideas that can be broadly applied in microbial tracking and epidemiological surveillance of indoor environments.