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Environmental Microbiology and Urban Health
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Environmental Microbiology and Urban Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2019) | Viewed by 15656

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Christine Stauber

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Guest Editor
School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
Prof. Dr. Lisa Casanova

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Guest Editor
School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The majority of the world’s population lives in urban settings, and this number will continue to grow, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The structure of these settings can influence how humans interact with microorganisms, the microbial communities that develop. and how they impact human health. This Special Issue will focus on the unique aspects of environmental microbiology in urban environments. Key topics to be considered for this Issue include the following: novel examinations of the role of urban environments in shaping the structure and function of microorganisms in urban environments; modern approaches to measuring microorganisms in densely populated urban settings; the role of environmental microbiology in urban exposure assessment; and the benefits and disadvantages of urban environments for the concentration and mitigation of microbial risks.

Prof. Dr. Christine Stauber
Prof. Dr. Lisa Casanova
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental microbiology and urban health
  • built environment
  • urban gradient
  • comparative studies
  • pathogens

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2121 KiB  
Article
Indoor Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistance on Floor Surfaces: An Exploratory Study in Three Different Building Types
by Mridula Gupta, Seungjun Lee, Michael Bisesi and Jiyoung Lee
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(21), 4160; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16214160 - 28 Oct 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4408
Abstract
Floor materials in indoor environments are known to be reservoirs of microbes. We focused on examining bacterial community composition, antibiotic resistance (AR) and microbial source tracking (MST) of fecal bacteria on the floor surfaces. Swab samples were collected from carpet and vinyl floors [...] Read more.
Floor materials in indoor environments are known to be reservoirs of microbes. We focused on examining bacterial community composition, antibiotic resistance (AR) and microbial source tracking (MST) of fecal bacteria on the floor surfaces. Swab samples were collected from carpet and vinyl floors in three different buildings (medical, veterinary, and office buildings) from high and low traffic areas. Bacterial communities were determined with 16S rRNA sequencing, and AR (tetracycline (tetQ), sulfonamide, and carbapenem (KPC)) and MST (human-, canine-, avian-, and ruminant-specific fecal bacteria) were examined with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results show that Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the most abundant phyla. Traffic level significantly affected the number of operational taxonomic units. Traffic level was a key factor for distinctive bacterial community in the medical center. Targeted ARGs were detected from all buildings and tetQ concentration was related with traffic level, and KPC was only detected from the medical center. Most of the floor surfaces showed the presence of dog-specific fecal bacteria (83%) followed by bird-specific fecal bacteria (75%). The results suggest that traffic levels affected the bacterial levels and fecal contamination is prevalent on the floor surfaces. This is the first study that reports KPC presence on the floor surfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Microbiology and Urban Health)
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19 pages, 2870 KiB  
Article
Factors Influencing Microbiological Biodiversity of Human Foot Skin
by Aleksandra Steglińska, Anita Jachowicz, Justyna Szulc, Justyna Adamiak, Anna Otlewska, Katarzyna Pielech-Przybylska and Beata Gutarowska
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(18), 3503; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16183503 - 19 Sep 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3719
Abstract
The aim of the study was to analyze the microbiological biodiversity of human foot skin with respect to factors such as age, gender, frequency of foot washing and physical activity, and to select indicator species to be considered when designing textile materials with [...] Read more.
The aim of the study was to analyze the microbiological biodiversity of human foot skin with respect to factors such as age, gender, frequency of foot washing and physical activity, and to select indicator species to be considered when designing textile materials with antimicrobial properties used for sock and insole production. The experiment was carried out on a group of 40 people. The number of microorganisms was determined using culture-dependent methods. Biodiversity was determined using culture followed by genetic identification based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing (bacteria), ITS region (fungi), or using Illumina next-generation sequencing (in a group of eight selected individuals). The total bacterial number on women’s feet was on average 1.0 × 106 CFU/cm2, and was not statistically significantly different than that of men’s feet (mean 1.2 × 105 CFU/cm2). The number of bacteria, in most cases, decreased with age and with increased frequency of physical activity. The number of bacteria increased with diminishing feet-washing frequency; however, statistically significant differences were found between groups. The number of fungi was not significantly different amongst groups. Bacteria belonging to the phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria constituted the main microorganisms of the foot skin. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota predominated amongst the fungi. The presence of specific species varied in groups depending on the factors mentioned above. Two of the species identified were classified as pathogens (Neisseria flavescens and Aspergillus fumigatus). These findings suggest that it is necessary to extend the list of microorganisms tested on textiles with respect to hygienic properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Microbiology and Urban Health)
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9 pages, 768 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Genetic Characterization and Clonality of Legionella pneumophila Isolated from Cooling Towers in Japan
by Noriko Nakanishi, Ryohei Nomoto, Shinobu Tanaka, Kentaro Arikawa and Tomotada Iwamoto
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(9), 1664; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16091664 - 13 May 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3062
Abstract
We investigated the genetic characteristics of 161 Legionella pneumophila strains isolated over a period of 10 years from cooling towers in Japan. Minimum spanning tree analysis based on the sequence-based typing (SBT) of them identified three clonal complexes (CCs); CC1 (105/161, 65.2%), CC2 [...] Read more.
We investigated the genetic characteristics of 161 Legionella pneumophila strains isolated over a period of 10 years from cooling towers in Japan. Minimum spanning tree analysis based on the sequence-based typing (SBT) of them identified three clonal complexes (CCs); CC1 (105/161, 65.2%), CC2 (22 /161, 13.7%), and CC3 (20/161, 12.4%). CC1 was formed by serogroup (SG) 1 and SG7, whereas CC2 was mainly formed by SG1. All of the CC3 isolates except two strains were SG13. The major sequence types (STs) in CC1 and CC2 were ST1 (88/105, 83.8%) and ST154 (15/22, 68.2%), respectively. These STs are known as typical types of L. pneumophila SG1 in Japanese cooling tower. Additionally, we identified 15 strains of ST2603 as the major type in CC3. This ST has not been reported in Japanese cooling tower. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis of the representative strains in the three CCs, which were isolated from various cooling towers over the 10 years, elucidated high clonal population of L. pneumophila in Japanese cooling tower. Moreover, it revealed that the strains of CC2 are phylogenetically distant compared to those of CC1 and CC3, and belonged to L. pneumophila subsp. fraseri. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Microbiology and Urban Health)
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10 pages, 8335 KiB  
Article
Identification of Pathogenic Bacteria from Public Libraries via Proteomics Analysis
by Ryan Hyunjae Jung, Minzae Kim, Bhoomi Bhatt, Jong Min Choi and Jung H. Roh
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(6), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16060912 - 14 Mar 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3508
Abstract
Hazardous organisms may thrive on surfaces that are often exposed to human contact, including children’s library books. In this study, swab samples were taken from 42 children’s books collected from four public libraries in Texas and California. Samples were then cultivated in brain–heart [...] Read more.
Hazardous organisms may thrive on surfaces that are often exposed to human contact, including children’s library books. In this study, swab samples were taken from 42 children’s books collected from four public libraries in Texas and California. Samples were then cultivated in brain–heart infusion (BHI) medium and then in Luria broth (LB) medium containing either ampicillin or kanamycin. All 42 samples (100%) were positive for bacterial growth in normal BHI medium. Furthermore, 35 samples (83.3%) and 20 samples (47.6%) in total were positive in LB medium containing ampicillin or kanamycin, respectively. Bacterial populations were then identified in samples using an Orbitrap Fusion™ Tribrid ™ mass spectrometer, a state-of-the-art proteomic analysis tool. Identified bacterial species grown in ampicillin included Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Serratia, Streptococcus, Escherichia, Salmonella, and Enterococcus. In contrast, identified bacteria grown in kanamycin included Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and Bacillus. The presences of pathogenic bacteria species were also confirmed. The results of this study warrant follow up studies to assess the potential health risks of identified pathogens. This study demonstrates the utility of proteomics in identifying environmental pathogenic bacteria for specific public health risk evaluations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Microbiology and Urban Health)
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