Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy.
Occupational Medicine Unit, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 18;19(3):1043. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031043.
The characterization of human microbiota and the impact of its modifications on the health of individuals represent a current topic of great interest for the world scientific community. Scientific evidence is emerging regarding the role that microbiota has in the onset of important chronic illnesses. Since individuals spend most of their life at work, occupational exposures may have an impact on the organism's microbiota. The purpose of this review is to explore the influence that different occupational exposures have on human microbiota in order to set a new basis for workers' health protection and disease prevention. The literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus. A total of 5818 references emerged from the online search, and 31 articles were included in the systematic review (26 original articles and 5 reviews). Exposure to biological agents (in particular direct contact with animals) was the most occupational risk factor studied, and it was found involved in modifications of the microbiota of workers. Changes in microbiota were also found in workers exposed to chemical agents or subjected to work-related stress and altered dietary habits caused by specific microclimate characteristics or long trips. Two studies evaluated the role of microbiota changes on the development of occupational lung diseases. Occupational factors can interface with the biological rhythms of the bacteria of the microbiota and can contribute to its modifications and to the possible development of diseases. Future studies are needed to better understand the role of the microbiota and its connection with occupational exposure to promote projects for the prevention and protection of global health.
人类微生物组的特征及其变化对个体健康的影响是当前世界科学界关注的一个热门话题。越来越多的科学证据表明，微生物组在重要慢性疾病的发生中起着重要作用。由于个体一生中大部分时间都在工作，职业暴露可能会对机体的微生物组产生影响。本综述的目的是探讨不同职业暴露对人类微生物组的影响，为保护工人健康和预防疾病奠定新的基础。文献检索在 PubMed、Cochrane 和 Scopus 中进行。在线搜索共产生了 5818 条参考文献，其中 31 篇文章被纳入系统综述（26 篇原始文章和 5 篇综述）。接触生物制剂（特别是直接接触动物）是研究最多的职业危险因素，研究发现其会改变工人的微生物组。接触化学制剂、工作压力、因特殊微气候特征或长途旅行导致的饮食习惯改变的工人，其微生物组也发生了变化。两项研究评估了微生物组变化在职业性肺部疾病发展中的作用。职业因素可以与微生物组细菌的生物节律相互作用，促进其变化，并可能导致疾病的发生。需要进一步的研究来更好地了解微生物组的作用及其与职业暴露的关系，以促进全球健康的预防和保护项目。
