Details:

Alternative Title:
Microbiome
Personal Author:
Prussin, Aaron J. ; Belser, Jessica A. ; Bischoff, Werner ; Kelley, Scott T. ; Lin, Kaisen ; ... More +
Prussin, Aaron J. ; Belser, Jessica A. ; Bischoff, Werner ; Kelley, Scott T. ; Lin, Kaisen ; Lindsley, William G. ; Nshimyimana, Jean Pierre ; Schuit, Michael ; Wu, Zhenyu ; Bibby, Kyle ; Marr, Linsey C. Less -
Description:
Background

During a period of rapid growth in our understanding of the microbiology of the built environment in recent years, the majority of research has focused on bacteria and fungi. Viruses, while probably as numerous, have received less attention. In response, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supported a workshop entitled “Viruses in the Built Environment (VIBE),” at which experts in environmental engineering, environmental microbiology, epidemiology, infection prevention, fluid dynamics, occupational health, metagenomics, and virology convened to synthesize recent advances and identify key research questions and knowledge gaps regarding viruses in the built environment.

Results

Four primary research areas and funding priorities were identified. First, a better understanding of viral communities in the built environment is needed, specifically which viruses are present and their sources, spatial and temporal dynamics, and interactions with bacteria. Second, more information is needed about viruses and health, including viral transmission in the built environment, the relationship between virus detection and exposure, and the definition of a healthy virome. The third research priority is to identify and evaluate interventions for controlling viruses and the virome in the built environment. This encompasses interactions among viruses, buildings, and occupants. Finally, to overcome the challenge of working with viruses, workshop participants emphasized that improved sampling methods, laboratory techniques, and bioinformatics approaches are needed to advance understanding of viruses in the built environment.

Conclusions

We hope that identifying these key questions and knowledge gaps will engage other investigators and funding agencies to spur future research on the highly interdisciplinary topic of viruses in the built environment. There are numerous opportunities to advance knowledge, as many topics remain underexplored compared to our understanding of bacteria and fungi.


Subjects:
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Built Environment Disease Transmission Exposure Meeting Report Metagenomics Virome Virus
Source:
Microbiome. 8
Pubmed ID:
31901242
Pubmed Central ID:
PMC6942371
Document Type:
Journal Article
Collection(s):
CDC Public Access
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:fcc7bf6a17658513f6ed54e0b79c404e81f574d659c0ea0612e8a09baa7b3184
Download URL:
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/88843/cdc_88843_DS1.pdf
File Type:

Supporting Files

• 	40168_2019_777_MOESM1_ESM-pmcvs_normal.flv	bin
  	40168_2019_777_MOESM1_ESM-pmcvs_normal.mp4	mp4
  	40168_2019_777_MOESM1_ESM-pmcvs_normal.webm	bin
  	40168_2019_777_MOESM1_ESM.mp4	mp4
  	40168_2019_Article_777.nxml	xml

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