Diversity of nasal microbiota and its interaction with surface microbiota among residents in healthcare institutes

Abstract

Nasal microbial communities may have crucial implications for human health, including for residents of healthcare institutes (HCIs). Factors that determine the diversity of nasal microbiota in HCIs remain unclear. Herein, we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to investigate the relationship between nasal and surface microbiota in three HCIs. Participants were classified into a hospitalised or nonhospitalised group based on their most recent date of hospitalisation. A total of 88 nasal samples and 83 surface samples were analysed. Dysgonomonas and Corynebacterium were the most abundant taxa in the surface and nasal samples, respectively. Significant differences were discovered in microbiota diversity among HCIs when comparing the surface and nasal samples. Fifteen taxa were identified as present in all the surface and nasal samples. SourceTracker analysis revealed that the ventilation conditions of environment might be associated with the proportion of shared microbial communities between nasal and surface. Additionally, as compared with the nonhospitalised group, the hospitalised group had a higher proportion of surface microbiota in their nasal samples, which might lead to a higher risk of human-related microorganisms or pathogens colonising the nasal cavity. The data suggest that nasal bacterial diversity could be influenced by both health status and living environment. Our results therefore highlight the importance of the indoor environment for HCI residents.

Characterization and Analysis of The Nasal Microbiota and Plasmatic Extracellular Vesicles in Allergic Rhinitis: A Case-Control Study

“…Interestingly, reduced diversity in the bNM was identi ed also in other respiratory diseases such as in patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS) [56,57], in patients with asthma [58], and in patients affected by granulomatosis with polyangiitis [59]. The importance of a diverse microbiota has been widely documented as pivotal in maintaining the mucosa integrity and an effective immune system [16,45,60]. Moreover, the di culty in de ning clusters between AR patients and HS group, when the disease status was considered, could be attributed to the greater intra-group distances found in the AR patients compared to the ones observed in the HS group.…”

Nasal microbiome research in ANCA-associated vasculitis: Strengths, limitations, and future directions

“…Insights into the shape of the adult nasal microbiome can be generated by analysis of residents living in different healthcare institutes, as different environmental factors might influence the composition (i.e., cleaning processes, disinfection of indoor air, or the source of ventilated air). A study from Taiwan found that the nasal microbiome more strongly relates to the environmental surface microbiome, and this was the case when participants from three healthcare institutes were analyzed [35] . A particular influence of the surface microbiome was observed in participants who have been hospitalized in the year prior to study enrollment, with a significantly higher proportion of microbes derived from surfaces.…”

Vertical Stratification in Urban Green Space Aerobiomes

“…In the indoor environment, studies have also drawn the link between microbial composition and endotoxin levels in dust and immuno-protection (e.g., against asthma) (Gehring et al 2008;Stein et al 2016). Other indoor-based studies show airborne microbes contribute to nasal, oral, and skin microbiomes (Lai et al 2017;Chen et al 2019). Studies have also shown that up to 10 6 microbial cells can be found in a cubic meter of air (Šantl-Temkiv et al 2018;Tignat-Perrier et al 2019).…”