Transfer of environmental microbes to the skin and respiratory tract of humans after urban green space exposure

Selway, Caitlin A.; Mills, Jacob G.; Weinstein, Philip; Skelly, Chris; Yadav, Sudesh; Lowe, A. J.; Breed, Martin F.; Weyrich, Laura S.

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.106084

Cited by 111 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…This is the first study to demonstrate that aerobiome vertical stratification is contingent on habitat type, which is important for potential human exposure. As mentioned, urban green space exposure can result in transfer of environmental bacteria to the skin and respiratory tract ( 21 ), and our study shows that the composition and diversity of aerobiome bacteria may differ between heights (from ground level to 2 m). Consequently, there could be different bacterial exposure levels and transfer loads depending on a person’s height and activity ( 27 ), however, further confirmatory research is needed.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

“…For example, environmental microbiomes are essential in the development and regulation of immunity ( 1, 6 ), and soil-derived butyrate-producing bacteria may supplement gut bacteria and have anxiety-reducing effects ( 5 ). Importantly, urban green space exposure can result in transmission of environmentally-derived bacteria to the skin and airways ( 21 ). Furthermore, a recent study showed that transfer of bacteria from biodiverse environments enhanced immunoregulatory pathways in children ( 38 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The aerobiome—the collection of microorganisms in a given airspace—is an important source of environmental microorganisms ( 19–21 ). Despite this importance, only limited studies have investigated the dynamics of near-surface aerobiomes in urban green spaces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exposure to Airborne Bacteria Depends upon Vertical Stratification and Vegetation Complexity

Robinson

Cando‐Dumancela

Antwis

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Exposure to biodiverse aerobiomes may support human health, but it is unclear which ecological factors influence exposure. Few studies have investigated near-surface green space aerobiome dynamics, and no studies have investigated aerobiome vertical stratification in different green spaces. We used columnar sampling and next generation sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene, combined with geospatial and network analyses to investigate aerobiome spatio-compositional dynamics. We show a strong effect of habitat on bacterial diversity and network complexity. We observed aerobiome vertical stratification and network complexity that was contingent on habitat type. Tree density, closer proximity, and canopy coverage associated with greater aerobiome alpha diversity. Grassland aerobiomes exhibited greater proportions of putative pathogens compared to scrub, and also stratified vertically. We provide new insights into the urban ecosystem with potential importance for public health, whereby the possibility of differential aerobiome exposures appears to depend on habitat type and height in the airspace.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exposure to Airborne Bacteria Depends upon Vertical Stratification and Vegetation Complexity

Robinson

Cando‐Dumancela

Antwis

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Indeed, restoring the urban microbiota by planting native vegetation could improve the exposure to microbes that humans need for immune training and regulation, thus contributing to reducing the immune disease prevalence found in cities (Rook et al 2003; von Hertzen et al 2011; Mills et al 2017). Further, there is growing evidence that environmental microbiota can transfer readily to humans through inoculated play-ground media (Hui et al 2019) or by simply using green spaces (Selway et al 2020), and that vegetation type or diversity near the home is associated with human microbial diversity (Pearson et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rare genera differentiate urban green space soil bacterial communities in three cities across the world

Mills

Selway

Weyrich

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Vegetation complexity is potentially important for urban green space designs aimed at fostering microbial biodiversity to benefit human health. Exposure to urban microbial biodiversity may influence human health outcomes via immune training and regulation. In this context, improving human exposure to microbiota via biodiversity-centric urban green space designs is an underused opportunity. There is currently little knowledge on the association between vegetation complexity (i.e., diversity and structure) and soil microbiota of urban green spaces. Here, we investigated the association between vegetation complexity and soil bacteria in urban green spaces in Bournemouth, UK; Haikou, China; and the City of Playford, Australia by sequencing the 16S rRNA V4 gene region of soil samples and assessing bacterial diversity. We characterized these green spaces as having low or high vegetation complexity and explored whether these two broad categories contained similar bacterial community compositions and diversity around the world. Within cities, we observed significantly different alpha and beta diversities between vegetation complexities; however, these results varied between cities. Rare genera (< 1 % relative abundance individually, on average 35 % relative abundance when pooled) were most likely to be significantly different in sequence abundance between vegetation complexities and therefore explained much of the differences in microbial communities observed. Overall, general associations exist between soil bacterial communities and vegetation complexity, although these are not consistent between cities. Therefore, more in-depth work is required to be done locally to derive practical actions to assist the conservation and restoration of microbial communities in urban areas.

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“…7 Airborne microbial communities are important for human health because our skin and mucous membranes are exposed to them every day. 8 Yet the community structure of the aerobiome remains little known, says lead study author Jake Robinson, a doctoral student in microbial ecology at England's University of Sheffield. An earlier study comparing forest and grassland areas found that elements of the local environment likely drive aerobiome structure.…”

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confidence: 99%

From the Ground up: Assessing Bacterial Diversity in the Air Space of an Urban Park

Pelley¹

2021

Environ Health Perspect

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Transfer of environmental microbes to the skin and respiratory tract of humans after urban green space exposure

Cited by 111 publications

References 61 publications

Exposure to Airborne Bacteria Depends upon Vertical Stratification and Vegetation Complexity

Exposure to Airborne Bacteria Depends upon Vertical Stratification and Vegetation Complexity

Rare genera differentiate urban green space soil bacterial communities in three cities across the world

From the Ground up: Assessing Bacterial Diversity in the Air Space of an Urban Park

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