Epidemiological and other studies have shown that, on average, having a dog is correlated to some possible health benefits (e.g., see this). And some studies have further suggested that this might be connected to “the microbiome” in that having a dog might change the microbiome of one’s surroundings and that this in turn might contribute …
There is a news story of interest from a few weeks ago in the NY Times: Are Pets the New Probiotic? – The New York Times It discusses the concept and some of the research on how animals and their microbiomes could in some cases play a role in shaping the human immune system and human …
OK I could not help it with the alliteration, since I just had to top the headline in the NY Times. Source: Dogs Do Their Duty for Science – The New York Times The article is about the work of Jane Carlton (full disclosure – I used to work with her at TIGR) and their …
Microbes in the house and office A survey of xerophilic Aspergillus from indoor environment, including descriptions of two new section Aspergillus species producing eurotium-like sexual states – Cobus M. Visagie – MycoKeys (OA) Xerophilic fungi grow at low water activity or low equilibrium relative humidity and are an important part of the indoor fungal …
Microbes on shoes Review: Shoe soles as a potential vector for pathogen transmission: A systematic review – Tasnuva Rashid – Journal of Applied Microbiology (OA) Shoe soles are possible vectors for infectious diseases. Although studies have been performed to assess the prevalence of infectious pathogens on shoe soles and decontamination techniques, no systematic review has …
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 …
Much of the work on microbiology of the built environment focuses attention on issues relating to humans. But all those other animals that spend time in built environments are important parts of the bigger picture. Animals certainly influence what microbes are found in the built environment. And they are important customers of knowledge about the …