Microorganisms of Indoor Environment (Human-Made Environment)

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Diversity and Culture Collections".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 8463

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Microbial Genomics and Ecology, Office of Industry-Academia-Government and Community Collaboration, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan
Interests: microbial ecology; microbial genomics; metagenomics; holobiome; microbiome of the built environment; bioaerosol; culture methods; biotic and abiotic interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu 069-8501, Japan
Interests: environmental health; veterinary science; bioaerosols; infectious diseases; airborne transmission; air pollution; atmospheric science; one health
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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Science and Environmental Resources, La Frontera University, Temuco 4811-230, Chile
Interests: airborne microbiomes; algae-associated microbiomes; bacterial community diversity; extremophilic bacteria; plant-associated microbiomes; plant growth-promoting bacteria; sediment-associated microbiomes; soil microbiology
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Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Hiroshima 731-5143, Japan

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganisms can be found in most of the built environment (BE), including our homes, public places, and inside vehicles. These microorganisms may form a unique community in each place and affect human health. Understanding the microorganisms of the indoor environment is a crucial step to take; as an example, the airborne infection may occur in the indoor environment. Recent findings have indicated that specific microorganisms can help to confront asthma-related problems. The roles of microorganisms in the built environments became a more important research topic, and it is necessitated to be disseminated from the public health aspect. It is essential to increase the knowledge of the microorganism in the indoor environment with various disciplines to achieve decent indoor air quality to sustain our health. We welcome you to submit the abstract to microorganisms related to indoor air quality.

This Special Issue will attempt to highlight the following questions as a framework to acquire information associated with health and microbiomes in BE.

  • Where are the microorganisms in BE coming from? (i.e., source of the microorganisms in the BE);
  • How can lifestyle affect microorganisms in the BE? (i.e., soil and outside material to be transported by shoes, soil material attached with food (e.g., vegetable), airborne transport, aerosol from the tap water system, having companion animals, and more);
  • Which criteria affect the microbiome of the BE? (i.e., availability of foliage house plant, companion animals, and carpet, type of building, construction material used, and age of the building);
  • What is the variation of diversity level and distribution/numbers of available microorganisms in the BE? (i.e., diversity variation with annual and diurnal cycles and a number of occupants per household, distribution/amount difference among wall, floor, ceiling, under the floor of BE and room type as a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and more);
  • How is the exchange rate of occupants and the type of BE affecting the criteria mentioned above? (i.e., residential hoses and public places, inside the transportation system such as train, subway, bus, airplane, ship and more and associated movement of the microbiome).

Finally, we believe this Special Issue will provide a platform to highlight new research and significant advances in the understanding of this emerging field in microbiology.

Dr. Fumito Maruyama
Dr. Jun Noda
Dr. Milko A. Jorquera
Prof. Makiko Nakajima
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Built environment
  • Microorganisms
  • Bioaerosol
  • Pathogen
  • Interaction between microorganisms and/or other environmental materials

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 6802 KiB  
Article
Relationship between the Microbiome and Indoor Temperature/Humidity in a Traditional Japanese House with a Thatched Roof in Kyoto, Japan
by Makoto Kokubo, So Fujiyoshi, Daisuke Ogura, Makiko Nakajima, Ayako Fujieda, Jun Noda and Fumito Maruyama
Diversity 2021, 13(10), 475; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13100475 - 28 Sep 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4712
Abstract
In our living environment, there are various microorganisms that are thought to affect human health. It is expected that excessive microbial suppression can have a negative effect on human health and that the appropriate control of the microbiome is beneficial to health. To [...] Read more.
In our living environment, there are various microorganisms that are thought to affect human health. It is expected that excessive microbial suppression can have a negative effect on human health and that the appropriate control of the microbiome is beneficial to health. To understand how the physical environment, such as temperature and relative humidity, or housing itself affects the microbiome in a rural house, we measured temperature and humidity and collected microbial samples in a traditional Japanese house with a thatched roof. The relative humidity of outdoor air was over 60% most of the day throughout the year. Indoor and outdoor air temperature and humidity were closer to each other in summer than in winter. The DNA concentration of indoor surfaces correlated with the relative humidity, especially with the lowest annual relative humidity. In the thatched roof, outside surface relative humidity often reached 100%, and the occurrence of condensation can affect the DNA concentrations. A high percentage of archaea were detected in the house, which is not a common characteristic in houses. In addition, the microbial community was similar outdoors and indoors or in each room. These characteristics reflect the occupants’ behaviour, including opening the windows and partitions in summer. In the future, it will be necessary to conduct continuous surveys in various houses, including traditional and modern houses, in Japan. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms of Indoor Environment (Human-Made Environment))
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9 pages, 1908 KiB  
Article
Impact of Hinoki Cypress Wood on Diversity of Microflora: A Case Study from Owase City Hall
by Daisuke Tanaka, Daisuke Uei, Jun Matsui, Masahiro Matsunaga, Masaaki Morimoto and Fumito Maruyama
Diversity 2021, 13(10), 473; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13100473 - 28 Sep 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2669
Abstract
Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) shows durability against termites and wood decay-causing fungi and is used as a construction material in Japan. However, the effects of the material are still not fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether [...] Read more.
Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) shows durability against termites and wood decay-causing fungi and is used as a construction material in Japan. However, the effects of the material are still not fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether Hinoki cypress has antimicrobial effects against airborne microorganisms. We examined the influence of Hinoki cypress on the growth of airborne bacteria and fungi using culture-based methods. The growth of bacterial colonies was observed after day 3 in the control group without Hinoki material. In contrast, the growth of bacterial colonies was observed after day 13 in the experimental group containing Hinoki material. In the experimental group, the number of fungal colonies was smaller than that in the control group, suggesting the antifungal effect of Hinoki cypress to some extent. In addition, we characterized the community structure of airborne bacteria in two rooms with and without cypress wood by the culture-independent method of PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. This also suggested differences in the community structure of airborne bacteria depending on the presence or absence of Hinoki cypress wood. These results indicate that Hinoki cypress might be a useful functional material in building environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms of Indoor Environment (Human-Made Environment))
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