New paper out of possible interest to those studying the microbiology of the built environment: Frontiers | Beneficial effects of plant-associated microbes on indoor microbiomes and human health? | Frontiers in Plant-Microbe Interaction. The paper makes some arguments regarding possible connections between indoor plant microbiomes and human health. I am posting this here without commentary in …
We need your help! One of the goals for microBEnet in 2014 is to host/organize/support targeted workshops within the broad area of the microbiology of the built environment. In the past we’ve been involved in a number of general workshops since the field was so new. Now we’d like to focus more on specific areas …
We’ve just added a new link on our resources page — a whole lot of lectures by Keith Redway of the University of Westminister. The list includes the following: Recombinant DNA Technology & GM (3BIO7M4, 3BIO7X1) Laboratory Management & Safety (3GAM405) Medical Microbiology (3MED666) History of Microbiology Medically important bacteria Transfer of antibiotic resistance – …
Interested in learning more about air sampling in the built environment? Then check out the Google Hangout with several researchers on the topic posted on microBEnet. Interested in even more detail? Then check out the EPA report entitled “Determination of the Sampling Efficiency of Biosamplers to Collect Inhalable Particles”
One aspect of life with dogs is that my house and clothing tend be coated in a layer of hair. However, a recent study by Fujimura et al. indicates that the dust in houses with dogs may confer protection from airway allergens and respiratory infection compared to houses with no pets. Fujimura et al. exposed …
We’ve talked in the past about uses for bacteria to sense and repair concrete (e.g. here and here) but this podcast is the first time I’ve heard the idea of using bacteria as pure sensors. In the words of the podcast summary “scientists might be able to develop a bacterial early warning system for our …
This study, just published in Infection and Immunity has been getting a lot of press: Some bacteria ‘live for long periods’ on toys, books and cribs Germs that cause colds can last outside human body for months: study Crib toys, day care items can harbor strep bacteria for months The basic gist of this story …
The study of how aerosols disperse and settle is an important part of the microbiology of the built environment and there are several groups working on the topic. However, this story was the first I’ve heard about modeling this process in zero gravity. The settling of aerosols in particular is quite different in spacecraft than …
A conference organized by the European Commission on the European antimicrobial resistance (AMR) five year action plan and its future challenges is taking place in Brussels today, 11 December. The conference is intended to provide a platform to discuss this action plan at the mid-stage of its implementation, looking at the issue both from a …
One of my spare time activities is to listen to science-themed podcasts and for several years I’ve been following the “This week in Microbiology” and “This week in Virology” podcasts hosted by Vincent Racanielloand friends at Columbia University. During the podcast, the hosts usually discuss a couple papers of interest to them similar to a …