6. YOUR HOME’S MICROBIOME
Building-specific seasonal patterns in
bacteria found on dust.
In-progress research is exploring the
microbial communities of several locations
in houses: kitchen surfaces (including inside
the refrigerator), tv screens, pillows, the
water inside of water heaters, etc, etc.
7. INTERACTION OF MICROBIOMES
Human shed about 1.5 millions cells per
hour, along with their associated 15
million bacteria cells.
Direct contact can transfer millions of
cells in each event.
8. INTERACTION OF MICROBIOMES
There is a lack of evidence regarding how
rapidly the human skin microbiota is
transferred to the surfaces of the homes in
which we live.
Hypotheses:
Microbes from the occupant are transferred rapidly
to the home and replace existing communities.
The occupant’s microbiome is reflected by the
home’s microbiome.
Bacteria on surfaces will be most similar to the
bacteria on the body parts that come into contact
with it.
11. SAMPLING
Human: House:
Palm of hand Kitchen countertop
Heel of foot Kitchen floor
Inside of nose Kitchen light switch
Bedroom floor
Front door knob
Bathroom door knob
12. HOME METADATA
Type of paint on walls
Countertop material
Type of flooring
Light intensity
HVAC system
Pets in household
Square footage
13. DAILY METADATA
Placedfive-minute interval data loggers in
the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom to
track:
Relative Humidity
Temperature
Dew Point
Participants also
fill out the form at
right each time
they collect
samples.
14. DATA LOGGER DATA
Temperature Rel. Humidity Dew Point
36 °C 76 RH
Bathroom
28 °C 65 RH
20 °C 54 RH
12 °C 43 RH
4 °C 32 RH
Bedroom
20 °C 47 RH
12 °C 38 RH
4 °C 28 RH
Kitchen
20 °C 40 RH
12 °C 32 RH
4 °C 24 RH
17. ALPHA DIVERSITY
Most Diverse: Nose, hand, and hand-
contact surfaces in house #1.
Most Diverse House: House 1, followed by
2, then 3.
Front_Door_Knob
Bathroom_Floor
Kitchen_Floor
Kitchen_Light_Switch
Bathroom_Door_Knob
Hand
Bedroom_Floor
Nose
Kitchen_Counter
Foot
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Observed Species (average)
18. HOUSE 1 RESULTS
Staphylococcaceae
Hand Nose Foot
50% Mycoplasmataceae
50%
% Total Population
Moraxellaceae (A)
40% 40%
30% Corynebacteriaceae
30% Streptophyta
20%
20% 10% Moraxellaceae (B)
10% 0% Streptococcaceae
Actinomycetales
1 5 9 13
0%
Pseudomonadaceae
Bedroom Kitchen Kitchen Kitchen Bathroom Front Door
Floor Floor Counter Light Door Knob Knob
% Total Population
80% Switch
60%
40%
20%
0%
Tim
e
19. HOUSE 2 RESULTS
Person 1 Person 2
Hand Nose Foot Hand Nose Foot
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Bedroom Kitchen Kitchen Kitchen Bathroom Front Door
Floor Floor Counter Light Door Knob Knob
60%
Switch
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Staphylococcaceae
50% Mycoplasmataceae Moraxellaceae (A)
Corynebacteriaceae Streptophyta Moraxellaceae (B)
Streptococcaceae
0% Actinomycetales Pseudomonadaceae
20. HOUSE 3 RESULTS
Person 1 Person 2 Person 3
Hand Nose Foot Hand Nose Foot Hand Nose Foot
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Bedroom Kitchen Kitchen Kitchen Bathroom Front Door
Floor Floor Counter Light Door Knob Knob
80%
Switch
60%
40%
20%
0%
Staphylococcaceae
50% Mycoplasmataceae Moraxellaceae (A)
Corynebacteriaceae Streptophyta Moraxellaceae (B)
Streptococcaceae
0% Actinomycetales Pseudomonadaceae