Feazel Leah M, Baumgartner Laura K, Peterson Kristen L, Frank Daniel N, Harris J Kirk, Pace Norman R
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0347, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Sep 22;106(38):16393-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0908446106. Epub 2009 Sep 14.
The environments we humans encounter daily are sources of exposure to diverse microbial communities, some of potential concern to human health. In this study, we used culture-independent technology to investigate the microbial composition of biofilms inside showerheads as ecological assemblages in the human indoor environment. Showers are an important interface for human interaction with microbes through inhalation of aerosols, and showerhead waters have been implicated in disease. Although opportunistic pathogens commonly are cultured from shower facilities, there is little knowledge of either their prevalence or the nature of other microorganisms that may be delivered during shower usage. To determine the composition of showerhead biofilms and waters, we analyzed rRNA gene sequences from 45 showerhead sites around the United States. We find that variable and complex, but specific, microbial assemblages occur inside showerheads. Particularly striking was the finding that sequences representative of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and other opportunistic human pathogens are enriched to high levels in many showerhead biofilms, >100-fold above background water contents. We conclude that showerheads may present a significant potential exposure to aerosolized microbes, including documented opportunistic pathogens. The health risk associated with showerhead microbiota needs investigation in persons with compromised immune or pulmonary systems.
我们人类日常接触的环境是接触各种微生物群落的来源，其中一些可能对人类健康构成潜在威胁。在本研究中，我们使用非培养技术来调查淋浴喷头内生物膜的微生物组成，将其作为人类室内环境中的生态群落。淋浴是人类通过吸入气溶胶与微生物相互作用的重要界面，并且淋浴喷头流出的水与疾病有关。虽然机会性病原体通常可从淋浴设施中培养出来，但对于它们的流行情况以及在淋浴使用过程中可能传播的其他微生物的性质却知之甚少。为了确定淋浴喷头生物膜和水的组成，我们分析了来自美国各地45个淋浴喷头位点的rRNA基因序列。我们发现淋浴喷头内部存在多样且复杂但特定的微生物群落。特别引人注目的是，在许多淋浴喷头生物膜中，代表非结核分枝杆菌（NTM）和其他机会性人类病原体的序列高度富集，比背景水含量高出100倍以上。我们得出结论，淋浴喷头可能会使人大量接触雾化微生物，包括已记录的机会性病原体。与淋浴喷头微生物群相关的健康风险需要在免疫或肺部系统受损的人群中进行调查。
