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- Sun, Yu, et al.
(author)
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Indoor microbiome, air pollutants and asthma, rhinitis and eczema in preschool children - A repeated cross-sectional study
- 2022
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In: Environment International. - : Elsevier. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 161
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Indoor microbiome exposure is associated with asthma, rhinitis and eczema. However, no studies report the interactions between environmental characteristics, indoor microbiome and health effects in a repeated cross-sectional framework. Methods: 1,279 and 1,121 preschool children in an industrial city (Taiyuan) of China were assessed for asthma, rhinitis and eczema symptoms in 2012 and 2019 by self-administered questionnaires, respectively. Bacteria and fungi in classroom vacuum dust were characterized by culture-independent amplicon sequencing. Multi-level logistic/linear regression was performed in two cross-sectional and two combined models to assess the associations. Results: The number of observed species in bacterial and fungal communities in classrooms increased significantly from 2012 to 2019, and the compositions of the microbial communities were drastically changed (p < 0.001). The temporal microbiome variation was significantly larger than the spatial variation within the city (p < 0.001). Annual average outdoor SO2 concentration decreased by 60.7%, whereas NO2 and PM10 concentra-tions increased by 63.3% and 40.0% from 2012 to 2019, which were both associated with indoor microbiome variation (PERMANOVA p < 0.001). The prevalence of asthma (2.0% to 3.3%, p = 0.06) and rhinitis (28.0% to 25.3%, p = 0.13) were not significantly changed, but the prevalence of eczema was increased (3.6% to 7.0%; p < 0.001). Aspergillus subversicolor, Collinsella and Cutibacterium were positively associated with asthma, rhinitis and eczema, respectively (p < 0.01). Prevotella, Lactobacillus iners and Dolosigranulum were protectively (negatively) associated with rhinitis (p < 0.01), consistent with previous studies in the human respiratory tract. NO2 and PM10 concentrations were negatively associated with rhinitis in a bivariate model, but a multivariate mediation analysis revealed that Prevotella fully mediated the health effects. Conclusions: This is the first study to report the interactions between environmental characteristics, indoor microbiome and health in a repeated cross-sectional framework. The mediating effects of indoor microorganisms suggest incorporating biological with chemical exposure for a comprehensive exposure assessment.
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| 2. |
- Sun, Yu, et al.
(author)
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Indoor microbiome, microbial and plant metabolites, chemical compounds, and asthma symptoms in junior high school students : a multicentre association study in Malaysia
- 2022
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In: European Respiratory Journal. - : European Respiratory Society (ERS). - 0903-1936 .- 1399-3003. ; 60:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Indoor microbial exposure is associated with asthma, but the health effects of indoor metabolites and chemicals have not been comprehensively assessed.Methods We collected classroom dust from 24 junior high schools in three geographically distanced areas in Malaysia (Johor Bahru, Terengganu and Penang), and conducted culture-independent high-throughput microbiome and untargeted metabolomics/chemical profiling.Results 1290 students were surveyed for asthma symptoms (wheeze). In each centre, we found significant variation in the prevalence of wheeze among schools, which could be explained by personal characteristics and air pollutants. Large-scale microbial variations were observed between the three centres; the potential protective bacteria were mainly from phyla Actinobacteria in Johor Bahru, Cyanobacteria in Terengganu and Proteobacteria in Penang. In total, 2633 metabolites and chemicals were characterised. Many metabolites were enriched in low-wheeze schools, including plant secondary metabolites flavonoids/isoflavonoids (isoliquiritigenin, formononetin, astragalin), indole and derivatives (indole, serotonin, 1H-indole-3-carboxaldehyde), and others (biotin, chavicol). A neural network analysis showed that the indole derivatives were co-occurring with the potential protective microbial taxa, including Actinomycetospora, Fischerella and Truepera, suggesting these microorganisms may pose health effects by releasing indole metabolites. A few synthetic chemicals were enriched in high-wheeze schools, including pesticides (2(3H)-benzothiazolethione), fragrances (2-aminobenzoic acid, isovaleric acid), detergents and plastics (phthalic acid), and industrial materials (4,4-sulfonyldiphenol).Conclusions This is the first association study between high-throughput indoor chemical profiling and asthma symptoms. The consistent results from the three centres indicate that indoor metabolites/chemicals could be a better indicator than the indoor microbiome for environmental and health assessments, providing new insights for asthma prediction, prevention and control.
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