Identifying and Isolating Microbes from the Environment

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Identifying and isolating microbes from the environment
Abstract
Microbes are found in different locations and surface types, and researchers have in the past relied on culturing microbes to isolate and identify the microbes. Increasingly, DNA sequencing has been utilized as a more effective way to identify microbial characteristics in the built environment different samples were collected in the biology lab and the hallway where gram staining and 16S rRNA sequencing was conducted to identify the various microbes on the surfaces. After analysis, Micrococcus luteus strain, uncultured bacterium clone and staphylococcus sp strains were identified, but the other five could not be identified. Sequential analysis was possible through the use of FINCH and BLAST programs, and gel image was also utilized for analysis. Human contact was identified as a strong predictor of microbes form the built environment, while spatial proximity, the location and the time the study was conducted could also explain microbial diversity.
Introduction
Microorganisms are everywhere in the built environment and culturing the microbes is necessary to identify the microbes present in this environment. Even as this approach has been used over time there is a drawback since some microbes cannot be cultured. DNA sequencing is equally cheap and effective since it is possible to identify the microbes when here are no cultures. As human have created the built environment the microhabitats have become more diverse than ever before, and microorganisms colonize these habitats (Kelley & Gilbert 1). When compared to the natural world, the microbial life of various microorganisms is remarkably different as there are more people in moving in and out of the built environment. The source of the microbes may be human, water and environmental elements, while even insects and animals can transport the microbes.
Even as culture based methods are used to identify and isolate microbes, they underestimate the diversity of microbial communities. The pattern of occupancy influence bacterial communities in the built environment (Stephens et al 1). However, in the case of buildings with moisture problems, the fungal communities thrive even when they are from the outdoor environments, while humans also influence their presence (Stephens et al 1). Additionally, the building characteristics like surface materials, design and ventilation strategies affect the diversity of microbial communities (Meadow et al 2).
In past research the culture based studies have shown that microbes are everywhere in the built environment, but we still do not fully understand microbial diversity (Kelley & Gilbert 1). Isolating and identifying the microbes from the build environment is necessary to understand how the building attributes and biodiversity influence human health. Studies on microbes in the built environment have mostly focused on identifying pathogenic strains, bioaerosol concentrations and the presence of culturable strains (Kembel et al 1469-1470). More research to understand the microbial diversity of the built environment is necessary. This study applies the culture the gram stain and 16S ribosomal sequencing approaches to identif...