Institute of Intestinal Diseases, Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200072, China.
Realbio Genomics Institute, Shanghai, 200050, China.
Genome Biol. 2020 Mar 3;21(1):55. doi: 10.1186/s13059-020-01964-x.
While the physical and chemical properties of airborne particulate matter (PM) have been extensively studied, their associated microbiome remains largely unexplored. Here, we performed a longitudinal metagenomic survey of 106 samples of airborne PM and PM in Beijing over a period of 6 months in 2012 and 2013, including those from several historically severe smog events.
We observed that the microbiome composition and functional potential were conserved between PM and PM, although considerable temporal variations existed. Among the airborne microorganisms, Propionibacterium acnes, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter lwoffii, Lactobacillus amylovorus, and Lactobacillus reuteri dominated, along with several viral species. We further identified an extensive repertoire of genes involved in antibiotic resistance and detoxification, including transporters, transpeptidases, and thioredoxins. Sample stratification based on Air Quality Index (AQI) demonstrated that many microbial species, including those associated with human, dog, and mouse feces, exhibit AQI-dependent incidence dynamics. The phylogenetic and functional diversity of air microbiome is comparable to those of soil and water environments, as its composition likely derives from a wide variety of sources.
Airborne particulate matter accommodates rich and dynamic microbial communities, including a range of microbial elements that are associated with potential health consequences.
尽管已对空气中颗粒物（PM）的物理和化学性质进行了广泛研究，但它们相关的微生物组在很大程度上仍未得到探索。在这里，我们对 2012 年和 2013 年 6 个月期间北京空气中 PM 和 PM 的 106 个样本进行了纵向宏基因组调查，其中包括几次历史上严重雾霾事件的样本。
我们观察到，尽管存在相当大的时间变化，但 PM 和 PM 之间的微生物组组成和功能潜力是保守的。在空气中的微生物中，痤疮丙酸杆菌、大肠杆菌、鲁氏不动杆菌、淀粉乳杆菌和雷氏乳杆菌占主导地位，还有几种病毒。我们进一步鉴定了广泛的抗生素抗性和解毒基因，包括转运蛋白、转肽酶和硫氧还蛋白。基于空气质量指数（AQI）的样本分层表明，许多微生物物种，包括与人、狗和老鼠粪便相关的微生物物种，表现出与 AQI 相关的发病动态。空气微生物组的系统发育和功能多样性与土壤和水等环境中的多样性相当，因为其组成可能源自各种来源。
空气中的颗粒物容纳了丰富而动态的微生物群落，包括一系列与潜在健康后果相关的微生物元素。
