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Journal article
Ten questions concerning the microbiomes of buildings
Building and environment, v 109
15 Nov 2016
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Buildings represent habitats for microorganisms that can have direct or indirect effects on the quality of our living spaces, health, and well-being. Over the last ten years, new research has employed sophisticated tools, including DNA sequencing-based approaches, to study microbes found in buildings and the overall built environment. These investigations have catalyzed new insights into and questions about the microbes that surround us in our daily lives. The emergence of the “microbiology of the built environment” field has required bridging disciplines, including microbiology, ecology, building science, architecture, and engineering. Early insights have included a fuller characterization of sources of microbes within buildings, important processes that structure the distributions and abundances of microbes, and a greater appreciation of the role that occupants can have on indoor microbiology. This ongoing work has also demonstrated that traditional culture- and microscopy-based approaches for studying microbiology vastly underestimate the types and quantity of microbes present in environmental samples. We offer ten questions that highlight important lessons learned regarding the microbiology of buildings and suggest future areas of investigation.
•Research interest in the microbiology of the built environment has increased in recent years.•The built environment houses a great diversity of microorganisms.•Emerging research has elucidated the sources and spatial, temporal, and taxonomic distribution of microorganisms in buildings.•Building operation, ventilation, and occupancy drives the building microbiology.•The role of built environment microbiology on occupant health is an active area of research.
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Details
- Title
- Ten questions concerning the microbiomes of buildings
- Creators
- Rachel I. Adams - University of California, BerkeleySeema Bhangar - Aclima Inc., 10 Lombard St, San Francisco, CA, 94111, USAKaren C. Dannemiller - GeodeJonathan A. Eisen - University of California, DavisNoah Fierer - Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental SciencesJack A. Gilbert - University of ChicagoJessica L. Green - University of OregonLinsey C. Marr - Virginia TechShelly L. Miller - University of Colorado BoulderJeffrey A. Siegel - Department of Civil Engineering and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A4, CanadaBrent Stephens - Illinois Institute of TechnologyMichael S. Waring - Drexel UniversityKyle Bibby - University of Pittsburgh
- Publication Details
- Building and environment, v 109
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000386401200018
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84991223034
- Other Identifier
- 991019168547104721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Construction & Building Technology
- Engineering, Civil
- Engineering, Environmental