Characterization of Microbial Communities in Urban Subway : Connotation for Indoor Environment Quality and Public Health

Metagenomics is a tool of novel genomic methods to accurately study the composition of microbial communities in their ecological environment and is used in many fields, including mass transport systems. However, despite the fact that these sites potentially constitute an important source of exposure, the pathogenic microbiomes identified in these constructed settings have not been explored. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was employed to identify the microbiota that was obtained from the Metropolitan Transport of Shanghai (MTS) in the spring and summer. A wide range of microbiota, in particular pathogens, as well as models for mapping diversity and environmental variables were captured using the metagenomic technique and analysis of influencing factors. The findings show that bacteria accounted for 95.26% of the categorized genes among the 108 aerosol samples analyzed in the spring and summer, with the remaining 4.73% coming from eukaryotes, viruses, and archaea. We discovered 86 pathogens that matched the National Microbiology Data Center's List of Pathogenic Microorganisms, and we discovered distinct pathogenic species features across seasons. Furthermore, the distribution and diversity of the microbiota are significantly influenced by temperature, humidity, season, and time of day. The findings of this study establish a framework for investigating and evaluating potential risks to public health and provide early warning of biosecurity related to these built environments. They also provide a thorough and unbiased perspective on the characteristics of microbial communities and pathogens in urban metros. Environmental and public health experts will be interested in this investigation of the pathogenic microbiomes found in aerosol samples