Household Dust Reveals Striking Differences Between Individuals

A study that discerned microbial composition of homes across Untied States found that geography and gender of inmates affected composition.

Researchers who analyzed dust from 1,200 across the country found they could tell the man to woman ratio in the home depending on the composition of bacteria that thrived there. Fungus on the other hand could reveal geography. According to BBC, researchers also found that having a cat or a dog affected the composition.

"We spend the majority of our lives indoors; yet, we currently lack a comprehensive understanding of how the microbial communities found in homes vary across broad geographical regions and what factors are most important in shaping the types of microorganisms found inside homes," researchers wrote in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

For the study researchers asked community scientists to scoop dust from ledges above doorways both outside and inside houses. Researchers sought these samples as doorways are more likely to remain untouched and uncleaned in most homes.

Analysis showed that average household had more than 2,000 types of fungi and 7,000 types of bacteria. Researchers found that the fungi types in the indoor and outdoor samples did not vary but the bacteria samples varied depending on the number of men, women and kind of pet in the household. This led to the conclusion that homes in the same area are likely to have same fungi composition but the bacteria would vary. Staphylococcus and Streptococcus are common bacteria found in most homes while Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria and Fusarium are some of the fungi that researchers spotted.

"If you want to change the types of fungi you are exposed to in your home, then it is best to move to a different home (preferably far away). If you want to change your bacterial exposures, then you just have to change who you live with," LA Times quoted the study's authors.