Original Mr. Warm-Hearted Mr. Warm-Hearted
2024-07-29 19:45 Beijing
The city is so good, I want to go back to the countryside! This is the choice of more and more people, and the reasons for this are complex, but many people may be fed up with the urban environment.
You see, car exhaust, air pollution, chemical disinfectants, etc., in cities, reduce people's symbiotic microbial diversity, and cause a lot of health problems. People living in rural areas are more exposed to clean air, animals and soil microbes, and the diversity of symbiotic microbes increases, and their bodies may be healthier from the inside out.
The foregoing statements and illustrations are from a major review led by Professor Jack A. Gilbert of the University of California, San Diego, a leading figure in United States microbiome research, and published July 19 in the journal Nature Reviews Microbiology.
Warm-hearted daily interpretation
Nature Reviews：室内微生态与人体健康（综述）
Nature Reviews Microbiology
[IF:69.2]
(1) This review explores indoor microbiota and its effects on immune, endocrine, and neurological health, and proposes strategies to use indoor microbes to improve health outcomes;
(2) Indoor microorganisms are composed of bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea and protists, which are mainly affected by human activities, building materials, air circulation and moisture, and the microbial composition of different building environments (such as homes, hospitals and schools) varies significantly.
(3) indoor microbes have far-reaching effects on human health, including infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, mental health, and allergic diseases, e.g., urbanization is associated with an increased risk of obesity and depression, which may be associated with a decrease in indoor microbial diversity;
(4) fungi and mold in indoor environments are long-standing health risk factors, and mold exposure can lead to allergic reactions and respiratory infections;
(5) exposure to the natural environment and abundant microbiota has been shown to be beneficial for human mental and physical health, and rewilding urban spaces, including indoor spaces (e.g., planting plants), can increase microbial exposure levels and thus promote human health;
(6) More research is needed to better understand the indoor microbiome and use it to promote human health.
The indoors microbiome and human health
2024-07-19 , doi: 10.1038/s41579-024-01077-3
In this review, the authors systematically describe the microbial composition, distribution, and ecological characteristics of indoor environments such as homes, hospitals, and schools, and specifically analyze how microorganisms on building surfaces are affected by water, humidity, and chemical cleaning agents, as well as the resulting health problems.
Overall, microorganisms in buildings are directly affected by temperature, air, and light, while indoor and outdoor plants, soil, pets, hygiene, and cleaning agents play an important role.
In the future, urban planners, architects, and microbiologists may be able to unite to reduce the impact of urbanization on human health by introducing a more diverse variety of beneficial microbes into cities to promote healthier indoor environments and living spaces.
I think in the eyes of microbiologists, the city of the future may have these characteristics:
◆ Urban design is based on a deep understanding of microecology, and urban construction aims to create an environment that promotes microbial diversity and balance.
◆ The building uses environmentally friendly materials that are conducive to beneficial microorganisms, inhibit harmful microorganisms, and even filter harmful microorganisms in the air, while the roof and more space are green, and more soil and plants provide living space for microorganisms.
◆ The city's parks and public spaces are designed as a paradise for microorganisms, and even the water in fountains and pools can be better purified by aquatic microorganisms.
◆ The transportation system is more environmentally friendly, the air is almost not polluted, and the public environment and public transportation are cleaned in a more microorganism-friendly way.
◆ In the urban food supply chain, more crops, vegetables and fruits grown with microbial fertilizers, processed foods and additives no longer destroy intestinal microorganisms, and people "eat" health in an all-round way.
◆ Advanced point-of-care microbial detection technology helps professionals keep abreast of the health of humans, animals, plants and cities, and make effective interventions.
◆ The garbage and wastewater generated by the city are effectively decomposed by microorganisms, and the waste is converted into useful fertilizer and energy, reducing environmental pollution.
◆ The concept of using microorganisms to promote the health of cities, people, the environment and even the whole earth is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and each city has a special microbial research center, and schools and communities regularly hold microbiology lectures or seminars, and the public actively participates in and benefits from microorganisms.
Are you looking forward to such a city? It sounds a bit idealistic now, but I believe that with the acceleration of the process of human civilization, especially the deepening of microbiology research, such an "ideal city" will definitely appear.
In such a city, microbes are no longer invisible, their presence is recognized, respected, and utilized. The symbiotic relationship between humans and microbes has been given new meaning, and together they have built a thriving urban ecosystem. The city is not only a paradise for human habitation, but also a model of harmonious coexistence between microbes and humans.