Studying the microbiology of the indoor environment

Abstract

The majority of people in the developed world spend more than 90% of their lives indoors. Here, we examine our understanding of the bacteria that co-inhabit our artificial world and how they might influence human health.

Figure 1

Illustration showing the various sources and transmission routes of hypothetical built environment microbial communities. Also indicated is how these communities might contribute to the microbial ecology of indoor surfaces, as well as various abiotic factors (for example, temperature) that may influence microbial diversity.