Differences in bacterial composition between men’s and women’s restrooms and other common areas within a public building

Abstract

Humans distribute a wide range of microorganisms around building interiors, and some of these are potentially pathogenic. Recent research established that humans are the main drivers of the indoor microbiome and up to now significant literature has been produced about this topic. Here we analyzed differences in bacterial composition between men's and women's restrooms and other common areas within the same public building. Bacterial DNA samples were collected from restrooms and halls of a three-floor building from the Federal University of Pampa, RS, Brazil. The bacterial community was characterized by amplification of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and sequencing. Throughout all samples, the most abundant phylum was Proteobacteria, followed by Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. Beta diversity metrics showed that the structure of the bacterial communities were different among the areas and floors tested, however, only 6-9% of the variation in bacterial communities was explained by the area and floors sampled. A few microorganisms showed significantly differential abundance between men's and women's restrooms, but in general, the bacterial communities from both places were very similar. Finally, significant differences among the microbial community profile from different floors were reported, suggesting that the type of use and occupant demographic within the building may directly influence bacterial dispersion and establishment.

Assessing the quality of fresh Whitemouth croaker ( Micropogonias furnieri ) meat based on micro‐organism and histamine analysis using NGS, qPCR and HPLC‐DAD

“…Six samples of DNA extracted from the muscle of whitemouth croaker were selected. The V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced, according to (Dobbler et al ) methodology. We performed the analysis by the PGM™ Ion Torrent (Thermo Fisher Scientific) platform using the primers 515F (5'‐GTGCCAGCMGCCGCGGTAA‐3') and 806R (5'‐GGACTACHVGGGTWTCTAAT‐3') according to the protocol described by (Caporaso et al ).…”

Characterization of communal sink drain communities of a university campus

“…Ledwoch's et al model provides a reproducible and simple testing methodology for investigating trap formation and disinfection, but it does not represent complex biofilms formed over years of in situ sinks. While other studies have explored the surfaces of universities and restrooms (Dobbler et al, 2017; Flores et al, 2011; Ross & Neufeld, 2015), currently there is no literature describing the microbiome of P‐traps of sinks in situ in non‐clinical communal or public buildings. Universities offer an interesting study site, because they are subject to high population densities of healthy individuals from culturally diverse backgrounds.…”

Microbiota profiling on veterinary faculty restroom surfaces and source tracking

“…8a). Moreover, besides the bacteria profiling analysis, providing the information about source origin was helpful to compare our result with what is already described in the literature (7,29). As can be seen in the interactive coloring of PCoA plot (Fig.…”

“…Different feeding patterns, hands, and skin lead to the establishment of microbial profiles, which also were described in other studies (25,26,27). The idea to define the bacterial biotope was already explored (28), especially in restrooms (7,29). In this study, we used a new approach and different tools to investigate more deeply the direct and indirect contribution of external sources and more specified animal contribution in the microbial profile of restroom surfaces.…”