#COVID19 Preprint Journal Club: “Detection and Survival of SARS-coronavirus in Human Stool, Urine, Wastewater and Sludge”

(h/t to Heather Bischel for the link) Yet another really nice and comprehensive review of the state of things regarding wastewater sampling for SARS-CoV-2.  “Detection and Survival of SARS-coronavirus in Human Stool, Urine, Wastewater and Sludge“.  This paper does a particularly nice job of looking at the following three questions: 1)What is the evidence for …

Closed access review of the MoBE field

Very torn about this.  On the one hand “Microbiology of the Built Environment” by Jack Gilbert and Brent Stephens is a great summary of the current status of the field.   On the other hand, it’s behind a paywall and I can’t access the article from my house where I am currently working.   In the interests …

The hot new 10 questions concerning the microbiomes of buildings will surprise you

Ok so I made this into Clickbait.  But you really should read this and that has nothing to do with me being a co-author. The paper is “Ten questions concerning the microbiomes of buildings” and it is in “Building and Environment” a journal that I am becoming more and more appreciative of every month.  The …

EPA Webinar and Discussion: What Have We Learned about the Microbiomes of Indoor Environments?

Paula Olsiewski just pointed us to this upcoming webinar and discussion hosted by Brent Stephens.   This presumably relates closely to his article on the same topic which is a must-read. What Have We Learned about the Microbiomes of Indoor Environments? Presented by: Brent Stephens, PhD, Associate Professor of Architectural   Engineering,   Illinois Institute of Technology Date and …

Journal Club: Antibiotics in Agroecosystems

A great review has come out on the use and ramifications of antibiotics in agroecosystems. “Antibiotics in Agroecosystems: Introduction to the Special Section” by Allison Frankiln et al is a review that attempts to get everyone on the same page about antibiotics, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and antibiotic resistant genes in the environment. The article highlights …

A must read on indoor microbiology: Sources of airborne microorganisms in the built environment 

2013-5-19MBPF Source: Sources of airborne microorganisms in the built environment | Microbiome | Full Text Really nice new review paper by Aaron Prissin and Linsey Marr. It covers research on sources of airborne microbes including Humans Pets Plants Plumbing HVACs Water damage Dust Outdoor air Really thorough with tons of references and discussion of the …

“Drinking water microbiology – from measurement to management”

Finally got around to reading this paper “Drinking water microbiology – from measurement to management”.  Seems like the number of culture-independent studies on drinking water keeps going up, it’s been a popular blog topic here in the last year.  This review paper does a good job of summarizing the current state of knowledge, even including …

Interesting (but closed-access) review article on “Urban microbiomes and urban ecology”

This article, “Urban microbiomes and urban ecology: How do microbes in the built environment affect human sustainability in cities?” certainly gets points for an intriguing title.  Though it is sadly closed-access. I haven’t read the whole article, but it’s basically a review of a lot of microbiology of the built environment literature, especially as it relates …

“Modifiable factors governing indoor fungal diversity and risk of asthma”

Just came across this review from Sharpe et al. at the University of Exeter, UK; “Modifiable factors governing indoor fungal diversity and risk of asthma”.   I’ve just skimmed it so far, but it seems to be a good starting place for getting a handle on this topic. I like the emphasis on “modifiable factors”, implying …