Chinese household dust microbiome study quantifies pathogen abundance, virulence factors, and extracellular vesicle contributions (microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com)

• Nationwide survey of 118 Chinese households using multi-omics (16S/ITS, metagenomics, metaproteomics)
• Pathogen abundance linked to rhinitis, wheeze, dermatitis; children highest risk
• Extracellular vesicles carry substantial virulence and resistance gene payloads

"This open-access study analyzed dust from 118 Chinese households using absolute 16S rRNA/ITS sequencing, metagenomics, and metaproteomics. Mean absolute abundance of potential pathogenic bacteria was 2.39×10^5 DNA copies/g dust, fungi 2.83×10^6. Pathogen abundance was associated with rhinitis, wheeze, and dermatitis in 266 participants. Children had highest inhalation exposure risk. 170 bacterial and 223 fungal virulence factors and 370 antibiotic resistance genes were detected. Extracellular vesicles contributed 47% of bacterial VF profiles, 44% of ARGs. The study highlights EVs as a key pathway for indoor microbial health impacts."