Relationship between the Microbiome and Indoor Temperature/Humidity in a Traditional Japanese House with a Thatched Roof in Kyoto, Japan

In our living environment, there are various microorganisms that are thought to affect human health. It is expected that excessive microbial suppression can have a negative effect on human health and that the appropriate control of the microbiome is beneficial to health. To understand how the physic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDiversity (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 10; p. 475
Main Authors Kokubo, Makoto, Fujiyoshi, So, Ogura, Daisuke, Nakajima, Makiko, Fujieda, Ayako, Noda, Jun, Maruyama, Fumito
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2021
Subjects
Air temperature
Allergens
Archaea
building environment
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Dining rooms
DNA
Houses
Housing
Humidity
Indoor air pollution
indoor environment
Indoor environments
Investigations
microbiome
Microbiomes
Microorganisms
Mold
Pathogens
Relative humidity
Residential areas
Roofs
Rural housing
Sensors
Summer
temperature
thatched roof
United States > US
Japan
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Summary:In our living environment, there are various microorganisms that are thought to affect human health. It is expected that excessive microbial suppression can have a negative effect on human health and that the appropriate control of the microbiome is beneficial to health. To understand how the physical environment, such as temperature and relative humidity, or housing itself affects the microbiome in a rural house, we measured temperature and humidity and collected microbial samples in a traditional Japanese house with a thatched roof. The relative humidity of outdoor air was over 60% most of the day throughout the year. Indoor and outdoor air temperature and humidity were closer to each other in summer than in winter. The DNA concentration of indoor surfaces correlated with the relative humidity, especially with the lowest annual relative humidity. In the thatched roof, outside surface relative humidity often reached 100%, and the occurrence of condensation can affect the DNA concentrations. A high percentage of archaea were detected in the house, which is not a common characteristic in houses. In addition, the microbial community was similar outdoors and indoors or in each room. These characteristics reflect the occupants’ behaviour, including opening the windows and partitions in summer. In the future, it will be necessary to conduct continuous surveys in various houses, including traditional and modern houses, in Japan.
ISSN:1424-2818
1424-2818
DOI:10.3390/d13100475