Analysis of the Impact of High-Resolution Airborne Bacterial Community Maps on Exposure Conditions in the Endoscopy Room

Abstract

Microorganisms play a crucial role in human health. Pathogenic microbial aerosols can cause nosocomial infections. During endoscopic examinations, healthcare workers face the risk of exposure to pathogenic microbial aerosols due to their close contact with the patient′s face. Since the rate of nosocomial infections is directly related to the type of biological aerosols, it is particularly important to identify the types of these microorganisms. We comprehensively characterized height-resolved airborne bacterial communities in a transnasal bronchoscopy room and a transoral gastroscopy room, together with the bacterial communities in patients′ oral samples and floor dust, and we analyzed the vertical stratification of indoor airborne bacteria in detail. The results showed that bacterial richness near the ceiling was significantly higher than at other heights. Airborne communities differed significantly from those in floor dust, whereas the airborne community at breathing height showed the smallest difference from the patients′ oral microbiota. In both endoscopy rooms, potential human-derived, respiratory infection–associated pathogenic genera included Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Haemophilus, and Neisseria, whereas opportunistic and healthcare-associated genera included Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter. In transnasal bronchoscopy rooms, the taxa with the highest total relative abundance were primarily human-derived, respiratory-associated genera (Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Neisseria). By contrast, in the peroral gastroscopy rooms, air was dominated by the opportunistic/HAI-associated genus Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus.