Indoor bioaerosol dynamics

Nazaroff, William W

Although study of the normal human lung microbiome is still in its early stages, the bulk of published evidence demonstrates that phylogenetically diverse microbial communities in the lungs of healthy humans can be detected using high throughput sequencing. -Beck et al. (2012) In a recent review, Grice and Segre (2012) articulate important ways in which microorganisms modulate human health: 'The human microbiome is a source of genetic diversity, a modifier of disease, an essential component of immunity, and a functional entity that influences metabolism and modulates drug interactions'. They then summarize what has recently been learned about the microbiology of the human gastrointestinal tract, the oral cavity, the reproductive tract, and the skin. However, they do not comment on the microbiology of the respiratory tract. Beck et al. (2012) , in their review, note that, 'although the lungs were classically believed to be sterile, recently published investigations have identified microbial communities in the lungs of healthy humans'. Lax et al. (2014) document that the microbes found in a home are distinctively related to the people who live in that home and that 'after a house move, the microbial community in the new house rapidly converged on the microbial community of the occupants' former house, suggesting rapid colonization by the family's microbiota'. What is not yet clear, but seems plausible, is whether aspects of the human microbiome are strongly influenced by microbiological and other conditions in inhabited indoor spaces.