Skin microbiota interact with microbes on office surfaces.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Environmental Science
• Indoor Environment Quality

Background:

• Indoor environments host resident microbiomes that can impact human health.
• Microbial communities on indoor surfaces originate from diverse environmental and human-driven sources.
• Office workspaces represent complex indoor environments with unique microbial profiles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize bacterial and fungal communities on common office surfaces (dust, fingers, keyboards, mice).
• To investigate the sources and migration patterns of indoor microbes.
• To identify potential health risks associated with office microbial communities.

Main Methods:

• Microbial community profiling of dust, finger swabs, keyboard, and mouse samples.
• Statistical analysis to compare microbial community composition across different surfaces.
• Network analysis to understand microbial interactions.
• Microbial source tracking using Fast Expectation-Maximization Microbial Source Tracking (FEAST).
• Biomarker identification using LDA Effect Size (LEfSE) analysis.

Main Results:

• Dust microbial communities (bacterial and fungal) differed significantly from other tested surfaces.
• Both bacterial and fungal communities were shaped by deterministic processes, with bacteria exhibiting higher migration rates.
• Network analysis revealed competitive microbial interactions on keyboards and mice.
• FEAST identified the primary sources for over 70% of keyboard and mouse microbial communities.
• LEfSE analysis identified soil-derived biomarkers and potential pathogens, indicating microbe exchange between outdoor, human, and indoor environments.

Conclusions:

• The source of office microorganisms is traceable and linked to human activity.
• Potentially pathogenic microbes migrate within the office environment.
• Findings underscore the importance of personal hygiene in mitigating health risks from indoor microbiomes.