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Microorganisms
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Microbiome and Microbiota in Indoor Spaces: Communities, Control and Potential...
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Microbiome and Microbiota in Indoor Spaces: Communities, Control and Potential Hazards

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2024 | Viewed by 2906

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ana C. Sampaio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology and Environment, Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: microbial ecology; environment microbiology; biodegradation; bioremediation; natural antibiotics; antifungals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Indoor spaces are very important for human civilization. From the caves that sheltered our ancestors to the space station, we live and work in these environments for most of our lives. Therefore, microbial communities, their diversity and concentration of populations and their metabolism and physiology are important for our well-being. Additionally, in the case of industries, the control of microorganisms is essential for quality production. The type of activity, frequency, environmental factors and climate determine the microbial diversity of these environments.

The present Special Issue will display the state of the art on the latest results and developments in microbial communities and functions in indoor environments, their risks for users and/or for production and control methods.

This Special Issue welcomes research articles, reviews and communications on the following topics:

  • Microbial communities in natural and artificial indoor spaces (e.g., caves, (agro)-industrial plants, hospitals, airports, houses, kindergartens, schools, nursing homes, prisons, ships, mines, etc.);
  • Microbial ecology of natural and artificial indoor environments;
  • Physiology and metabolism of dominant microbial species in indoor environments;
  • Indoor–outdoor relationships;
  • Methods for studying microorganisms on indoor surfaces and in indoor air;
  • Potential hazards of indoor microorganisms to users and/or production;
  • Climate and indoor microorganisms;
  • Microbial control methods: present and future directions.

Dr. Ana C. Sampaio
Guest Editor

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. Microorganisms 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 2700 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

  • microbiome
  • microbiota
  • metabolism
  • microbial toxins
  • microbial hazards
  • microbial control
  • control methods

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 7790 KiB  
Article
Fungal Biodeterioration Risk in Monastic Libraries without Climate Control
by Katharina Derksen, Peter Brimblecombe, Guadalupe Piñar, Monika Waldherr, Alexandra Graf, Martin Haltrich, Pascal Querner and Katja Sterflinger
Microorganisms 2024, 12(7), 1450; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12071450 - 17 Jul 2024
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Abstract
Fungi have always posed an unquestionable threat to heritage collections worldwide. Now, in a future of climate change, biological risk factors may have to be considered even more than before. Models and simulations to assess possible impacts a changing outdoor climate will have [...] Read more.
Fungi have always posed an unquestionable threat to heritage collections worldwide. Now, in a future of climate change, biological risk factors may have to be considered even more than before. Models and simulations to assess possible impacts a changing outdoor climate will have on indoor environments and, in turn, on biodeterioration are still underdeveloped and require a more substantial data basis. This study aimed at filling some of these knowledge gaps through a broad-based approach combining microclimatic and microbiological monitoring in four historic libraries in Austria with an uncontrolled indoor climate: Altenburg Abbey, Melk Abbey, Klosterneuburg Monastery and the Capuchin Monastery in Vienna. Data were generated from thermohygrometric sensors, cultivation-dependent air- and surface sampling and further surface dust sampling for cultivation-independent analyses. Results gave insights on the status quo of microbiological loads in the libraries and outdoor–indoor relationships. Influences of the geographic location and room-use on corresponding indoor fungal profiles were identified. Lower fungal diversities were found at the most rural site with the strongest climatic fluctuations and extreme values than in the most urban, sheltered library with a very stable climate. Further, the humidity-stabilizing potential of large collections of hygroscopic materials, such as books, was also examined. Implications for a sustainable approach to prevent future biodeterioration are discussed, supporting the long-term preservation of these valuable historic collections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiome and Microbiota in Indoor Spaces: Communities, Control and Potential Hazards)
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16 pages, 536 KiB  
Article
Effects of Anthropogenic Disturbance and Seasonal Variation on Aerobiota in Highly Visited Show Caves in Slovenia
by Rok Tomazin, Saša Simčič, Sanja Stopinšek, Andreja Nataša Kopitar, Andreja Kukec, Tadeja Matos and Janez Mulec
Microorganisms 2023, 11(10), 2381; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11102381 - 23 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1064
Abstract
Aerosols in caves are natural tracers and, together with climatic parameters, provide a detailed insight into atmospheric conditions, responses to climatic changes and anthropogenic influences in caves. Microbiological air monitoring in show caves is becoming increasingly useful to understand changes in cave ecosystems [...] Read more.
Aerosols in caves are natural tracers and, together with climatic parameters, provide a detailed insight into atmospheric conditions, responses to climatic changes and anthropogenic influences in caves. Microbiological air monitoring in show caves is becoming increasingly useful to understand changes in cave ecosystems and to implement and review measures for sustainable cave use and tourism development. In 2017 and 2018, air along tourist trails in caves Postojnska jama and Škocjanske jame (Slovenia) was sampled before and after tourist visits. Samples were analysed using culture-dependent methods, flow cytometry, detection of β-D-glucan and lipopolysaccharide and compared with CO2 and temperature data to measure anthropogenic influences and seasonality on aerobiota. While the presence of tourists significantly increased concentrations of airborne microorganisms (p < 0.05), β-D-glucan and CO2 did not show such a trend and were more dependent on seasonal changes. Locally, concentrations of cultivable microorganisms above 1000 CFU/m3 were detected, which could have negative effects on the autochthonous microbiota and possibly on human health. A mixture of bacteria typically associated with humans was found in the air and identified with MALDI-TOF MS. Using MALDI-TOF MS, we achieved a 69.6% success rate in identification. Micrococcus luteus, Streptococcus mitis, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Moraxella spp. were recognized as good indicators of cave anthropisation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiome and Microbiota in Indoor Spaces: Communities, Control and Potential Hazards)
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20 pages, 3641 KiB  
Article
Microbiota Profiling on Veterinary Faculty Restroom Surfaces and Source Tracking
by Hiba Jabri, Simone Krings, Papa Abdoulaye Fall, Denis Baurain, Georges Daube and Bernard Taminiau
Microorganisms 2023, 11(8), 2053; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11082053 - 10 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1073
Abstract
In this study, we aimed to develop a comprehensive microbial source amplicon database tailored for source tracking in veterinary settings. We rigorously tested our locally curated source tracking database by selecting a frequently accessed environment by veterinary students and veterinarians. By exploring the [...] Read more.
In this study, we aimed to develop a comprehensive microbial source amplicon database tailored for source tracking in veterinary settings. We rigorously tested our locally curated source tracking database by selecting a frequently accessed environment by veterinary students and veterinarians. By exploring the composition of resident microbiota and identifying potential sources of contamination, including animals, the environment, and human beings, we aimed to provide valuable insights into the dynamics of microbial transmission within veterinary facilities. The 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing was used to determine the bacterial taxonomic profiles of restroom surfaces. Bacterial sources were identified by linking our metadata-enriched local database to the microbiota profiling analysis using high-quality sequences. Microbiota profiling shows the dominance of four phyla: Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes. If the restroom cleaning process did not appear to impact microbiota composition, significant differences regarding bacterial distribution were observed between male and female users in different sampling campaigns. Combining 16S rDNA profiling to our specific sources labeling pipeline, we found aquatic and human sources were the primary environment keywords in our campaigns. The probable presence of known animal sources (bovids, insects, equids, suids…) associated with bacterial genera such as Chryseobacterium, Bergeyella, Fibrobacter, and Syntrophococcus was also involved in restroom surfaces, emphasizing the proximity between these restrooms and the exchange of bacteria between people involved in animals handling. To summarize, we have demonstrated that DNA sequence-based source tracking may be integrated with high-throughput bacterial community analysis to enrich microbial investigation of potential bacterial contamination sources, especially for little known or poorly identified taxa. However, more research is needed to determine the tool’s utility in other applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiome and Microbiota in Indoor Spaces: Communities, Control and Potential Hazards)
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