New research reveals that microbes in urban environments are evolving to withstand the very cleaning agents designed to eliminate them. The study also uncovers new strains in Hong Kong, previously only found in the Antarctic desert soil.
Since the recent pandemic, our use of disinfectants has surged, but could our push for sterile urban environments be backfiring?
A new study published in the journal Microbiome has identified novel strains of microbes that have adapted to use the limited resources available in cities and shown that our everyday behavior is changing the makeup of microorganisms in indoor environments.
“Built environments offer distinct conditions that set them apart from natural and engineered habitats,” says Dr. Xinzhao Tong, an assistant professor at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), China, and lead author of the study.
“Areas with many buildings are low in the traditional nutrients and essential resources microbes need for survival, so these built environments have a unique microbiome.
“Our use of cleaning and other manufactured products creates a unique setting that puts selective pressures on microbes, which they must adapt to or be eliminated, but the mechanisms by which microbes adapt and survive in built environments are poorly understood,” Dr. Tong explains.
City dwellers
The researchers collected 738 samples from a variety of built environments, including subways, residences, public facilities, piers, and human skin in Hong Kong. They then used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to analyze the microbes’ genomic content and understand how they have adapted to the challenging urban conditions.
The team identified 363 microbial strains that have not been previously identified that live on our skin and the environment around us. Some of these strains’ genomes contained genes for metabolizing manufactured products found in cities and using them as carbon and energy sources. This includes the discovery of a strain of Candidatus phylum Eremiobacterota, previously only reported in Antarctic desert soil.
Specialized metabolic capacities of microbes in oligotrophic built environments. Tong et al. “Diverse and specialized metabolic capabilities of microbes in oligotrophic built environments.” Microbiome (2024). Credit: AJE Video Bytes, in partnership with Springer Nature Group
Dr Tong says: “The genome of this novel strain of Eremiobacterota enables it to metabolize ammonium ions found in cleaning products. The strain also has genes for alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases to break down residual alcohol found in common disinfectants.
“Microbes possessing enhanced capabilities to utilize limited resources and tolerate manufactured products, such as disinfectants and metals, out-compete non-resistant strains, enhancing their survival and even evolution within built environments. They could, therefore, pose health risks if they are pathogenic.”
The team identified 11 unique, previously uncharacterized strains of Micrococcus luteus, typically non-pathogenic but capable of causing opportunistic infections in immunocompromised individuals.
“The issue of their adaptation to our behavior becomes particularly critical in clinical settings where hospitals serve as hotspots for diverse pathogens that cause hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). HAIs pose a significant threat, particularly in intensive care units where mortality rates can reach up to 30%,” says Dr Tong.
A balancing act
The researchers also characterized two novel strains of Patescibacteria, known as “nanobacteria”, as they have tiny genomes that do not contain many genes for producing their own resources.
Dr Tong says: “Some strains of Patescibacteria are considered parasitic as they rely on bacterial hosts to supply their nutrients. However, in this study, the researchers found that one of the nanobacteria strains, recovered from human skin, contains genes for the biosynthesis of carotenoids and ubiquinone. These antioxidant compounds are vital to humans, and we typically acquire them, especially carotenoids, through our diets, suggesting a possible mutualistic relationship between bacteria and us as their hosts.”
This enhanced understanding of microbial metabolic functions within built environments helps develop strategies to create a healthy indoor ecosystem of microbes for us to live alongside.
The team is now investigating the transmission and evolution of resistance in pathogenic microbes in intensive care units that are exposed to stringent and extensive disinfectant practices. They hope to improve infection control practices and increase the safety of clinical environments for healthcare workers and patients.
Reference: “Diverse and specialized metabolic capabilities of microbes in oligotrophic built environments” by Xinzhao Tong, Danli Luo, Marcus H. Y. Leung, Justin Y. Y. Lee, Zhiyong Shen, Wengyao Jiang, Christopher E. Mason and Patrick K. H. Lee, 17 October 2024, Microbiome.
DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01926-6
Funding: Hong Kong Research Grants Council Research Impact 642 Fund, Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, Hong Kong Research Grants Council General Research Fund
News
Scientists Develop IV Therapy That Repairs the Brain After Stroke
New nanomaterial passes the blood-brain barrier to reduce damaging inflammation after the most common form of stroke. When someone experiences a stroke, doctors must quickly restore blood flow to the brain to prevent death. [...]
Analyzing Darwin’s specimens without opening 200-year-old jars
Scientists have successfully analyzed Charles Darwin's original specimens from his HMS Beagle voyage (1831 to 1836) to the Galapagos Islands. Remarkably, the specimens have been analyzed without opening their 200-year-old preservation jars. Examining 46 [...]
Scientists discover natural ‘brake’ that could stop harmful inflammation
Researchers at University College London (UCL) have uncovered a key mechanism that helps the body switch off inflammation—a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments for chronic diseases affecting millions worldwide. Inflammation is the [...]
A Forgotten Molecule Could Revive Failing Antifungal Drugs and Save Millions of Lives
Scientists have uncovered a way to make existing antifungal drugs work again against deadly, drug-resistant fungi. Fungal infections claim millions of lives worldwide each year, and current medical treatments are failing to keep pace. [...]
Scientists Trap Thyme’s Healing Power in Tiny Capsules
A new micro-encapsulation breakthrough could turn thyme’s powerful health benefits into safer, smarter nanodoses. Thyme extract is often praised for its wide range of health benefits, giving it a reputation as a natural medicinal [...]
Scientists Develop Spray-On Powder That Instantly Seals Life-Threatening Wounds
KAIST scientists have created a fast-acting, stable powder hemostat that stops bleeding in one second and could significantly improve survival in combat and emergency medicine. Severe blood loss remains the primary cause of death from [...]
Oceans Are Struggling To Absorb Carbon As Microplastics Flood Their Waters
New research points to an unexpected way plastic pollution may be influencing Earth’s climate system. A recent study suggests that microscopic plastic pollution is reducing the ocean’s capacity to take in carbon dioxide, a [...]
Molecular Manufacturing: The Future of Nanomedicine – New book from Frank Boehm
This book explores the revolutionary potential of atomically precise manufacturing technologies to transform global healthcare, as well as practically every other sector across society. This forward-thinking volume examines how envisaged Factory@Home systems might enable the cost-effective [...]
New Book! NanoMedical Brain/Cloud Interface – Explorations and Implications
New book from Frank Boehm, NanoappsMedical Inc Founder: This book explores the future hypothetical possibility that the cerebral cortex of the human brain might be seamlessly, safely, and securely connected with the Cloud via [...]
Global Health Care Equivalency in the Age of Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine and Artificial Intelligence
A new book by Frank Boehm, NanoappsMedical Inc. Founder. This groundbreaking volume explores the vision of a Global Health Care Equivalency (GHCE) system powered by artificial intelligence and quantum computing technologies, operating on secure [...]
Miller School Researchers Pioneer Nanovanilloid-Based Brain Cooling for Traumatic Injury
A multidisciplinary team at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has developed a breakthrough nanodrug platform that may prove beneficial for rapid, targeted therapeutic hypothermia after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Their work, published in ACS [...]
COVID-19 still claims more than 100,000 US lives each year
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers report national estimates of 43.6 million COVID-19-associated illnesses and 101,300 deaths in the US during October 2022 to September 2023, plus 33.0 million illnesses and 100,800 deaths [...]
Nanomedicine in 2026: Experts Predict the Year Ahead
Progress in nanomedicine is almost as fast as the science is small. Over the last year, we've seen an abundance of headlines covering medical R&D at the nanoscale: polymer-coated nanoparticles targeting ovarian cancer, Albumin recruiting nanoparticles for [...]
Lipid nanoparticles could unlock access for millions of autoimmune patients
Capstan Therapeutics scientists demonstrate that lipid nanoparticles can engineer CAR T cells within the body without laboratory cell manufacturing and ex vivo expansion. The method using targeted lipid nanoparticles (tLNPs) is designed to deliver [...]
The Brain’s Strange Way of Computing Could Explain Consciousness
Consciousness may emerge not from code, but from the way living brains physically compute. Discussions about consciousness often stall between two deeply rooted viewpoints. One is computational functionalism, which holds that cognition can be [...]
First breathing ‘lung-on-chip’ developed using genetically identical cells
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and AlveoliX have developed the first human lung-on-chip model using stem cells taken from only one person. These chips simulate breathing motions and lung disease in an individual, [...]
