Initial Evidence of the Relationships between the Human Postmortem Microbiome and Neighborhood Blight and Greening Efforts

Amber L. Pearson, Amanda Rzotkiewicz, Jennifer L. Pechal, Carl J. Schmidt, Heather R. Jordan, Adam Zwickle and M. Eric Benbow

Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 2019, vol. 109, issue 3, 958-978

Abstract: The microbiome is important in human health, yet its connection to the built environment remains understudied. Little is known about the potential influence of neighborhood environments on the bacterial and archaea communities that live in and on the human body, henceforth the microbiome. Thus, we examined relationships between the microbiome and features of the urban environment. To do this, we first quantified neighborhood levels of blight (e.g., abandoned buildings) and green remediation (e.g., tree plantings) using parcel data in Detroit, Michigan, and then compared neighborhood status to the composition and diversity of the human postmortem microbiome. The postmortem microbiome served as a surrogate for biological signatures and lifestyles of living neighborhood residents. We observed significant clustering of microbial composition by neighborhood blight, with significantly higher abundances of potential pathogens associated with unhealthy living conditions. We also observed significant clusters between high and low green remediation for the mouth and eye communities only, with high levels of commensals (or nonharmful bacteria) in green remediation neighborhoods. Microbial biodiversity was significantly and positively correlated with green remediation and negatively correlated with blight. Regression models yielded the largest positive effects of green remediation on microbial richness (rectum) and diversity (nose) for women; the largest negative effects of blight were observed for evenness (eyes) among women and richness and diversity (mouth and nose) among men. These results provide evidence of a relationship between the human microbiome and neighborhood conditions, establishing the foundation for novel research opportunities into the effects of green remediation and urban blight on health.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1080/24694452.2018.1519407

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