Intra-hospital microbiome variability is driven by accessibility and clinical activities

Area of Science:

• Hospital epidemiology
• Microbial ecology
• Infection prevention

Background:

• The hospital environmental microbiome impacts patient and healthcare worker health.
• Drivers of hospital microbiome variability remain poorly understood.
• Understanding microbial dispersal is crucial for infection control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the temporal and spatial variability of the hospital environmental microbiome.
• To identify drivers of microbial variation across different hospital areas.
• To assess the utility of 16S rRNA sequencing and culturing for hospital microbiome analysis.

Main Methods:

• Collected surface samples from multiple hospital areas, including the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) before and after opening.
• Utilized 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing for microbial community profiling.
• Employed culturing methods to assess bacterial viability and antibiotic resistance.

Main Results:

• The NICU microbiome remained stable over time, while other areas showed significant spatial variation.
• Principal coordinate analysis revealed two distinct clusters based on microbial diversity (high vs. low).
• Machine learning models accurately predicted sample origin based on microbial composition, identifying potential pathogenic ASVs.

Conclusions:

• Hospital area significantly influences microbial community composition and diversity.
• 16S rRNA sequencing is a powerful tool for profiling hospital microbiomes.
• Findings support targeted surveillance and infection control strategies based on microbial signatures.