Despite the fact that people in developed countries tend to spend over 90% of their time, on average, indoors, the outdoor urban microbiome is critically important too. The diversity and composition of outdoor air is a key determinant of the indoor air microbiome, since it is ultimately the source of all indoor air, whether through a mechanical ventilation system or through windows, doors, and infiltration cracks. People and other building occupants (dogs, pests, etc.) also bring in microbes from the immediate outdoors on their feet, clothing, and skin. Furthermore, we all spend time directly exposed to the outdoor environment, whether in intimate contact as through gardening, or just passing through on the way to office or home.
IHBE’s Urban Microbiome research area is led by Dr. Gwynne Mhuireach and seeks to shed light on what urban design factors can be leveraged to control the diversity and composition of urban microbial communities. Her EPA-funded PhD work explored the effects of vegetation, in comparison to paved surfaces, on nearby airborne microbes. Currently she is leading a citizen science project, funded by USDA NIFA, to understand how gardening activities can alter the human skin microbiome.
