Exotic airborne bacteria identified in urban resuspended dust by next generation sequencing

Abstract

The airborne transport of bacteria is a well-known phenomenon, making it possible to exchange species between ecosystems, but it also provides a tool for spreading of pathogenic microorganisms. As part of a large-scale study, microbial community of inhalable and respirable fractions (PM1-10) of resuspended dust collected in Budapest (Hungary) has been characterised by culture-independent next generation sequencing (NGS) of variable 16S rRNA gene regions. Apart from common, mostly ubiqituos soil and organic material-dwelling bacteria, exotic airborne species have been identified, such as Variovorax ginsengisoli, previously isolated from Korean ginseng fields or Exiguobacterium sibiricum, isolated from the Siberian permafrost.