Longitudinal Metagenomic Analysis of Hospital Air Identifies Clinically Relevant Microbes

PLoS One. 2016 Aug 2;11(8):e0160124. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160124. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

We describe the sampling of sixty-three uncultured hospital air samples collected over a six-month period and analysis using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Our primary goals were to determine the longitudinal metagenomic variability of this environment, identify and characterize genomes of potential pathogens and determine whether they are atypical to the hospital airborne metagenome. Air samples were collected from eight locations which included patient wards, the main lobby and outside. The resulting DNA libraries produced 972 million sequences representing 51 gigabases. Hierarchical clustering of samples by the most abundant 50 microbial orders generated three major nodes which primarily clustered by type of location. Because the indoor locations were longitudinally consistent, episodic relative increases in microbial genomic signatures related to the opportunistic pathogens Aspergillus, Penicillium and Stenotrophomonas were identified as outliers at specific locations. Further analysis of microbial reads specific for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia indicated homology to a sequenced multi-drug resistant clinical strain and we observed broad sequence coverage of resistance genes. We demonstrate that a shotgun metagenomic sequencing approach can be used to characterize the resistance determinants of pathogen genomes that are uncharacteristic for an otherwise consistent hospital air microbial metagenomic profile.

MeSH terms

  • Air / analysis
  • Air Microbiology*
  • Aspergillus / classification
  • Aspergillus / genetics*
  • Aspergillus / isolation & purification
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Cross Infection / prevention & control
  • Genotype
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Hospitals
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Metagenome*
  • Microbial Consortia / genetics*
  • Penicillium / classification
  • Penicillium / genetics*
  • Penicillium / isolation & purification
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Stenotrophomonas maltophilia / classification
  • Stenotrophomonas maltophilia / genetics*
  • Stenotrophomonas maltophilia / isolation & purification

Grants and funding

Funding for this research was provided in full through contract HSHQDC-10-C-00019 to FLIR Systems, Inc., by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), http://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology. DHS S&T reviewed and approved the manuscript for publication. DHS S&T had no additional roles in the study design, data collection and analysis or preparation of the manuscript. FLIR Systems, Inc., Singlera Genomics Inc. and Zova Systems, LLC, provided support in the form of salaries for authors PK, LKP, SW, DS, RTY, and RAF, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.