Bacterial contamination screening and interpretation for biological laboratory environments

Advances in microbiome researches have led us to the realization that the compositions of bacterial communities of indoor environment is profoundly affected by the function of buildings, and they in turn may bring detrimental effects to the indoor environment and the occupants. These phenomena are common in biological product manufacturing, which might seriously compromise the analytical results. Thus, investigation is warranted for a deeper understanding of the potential impact of the indoor bacterial communities. Among these environments, the biological laboratories stand out because they are relatively clean and yet are highly susceptible to bacterial contaminants. However, few studies have examined the bacterial compositions of biological laboratories. In this study, we assessed the bacterial compositions of samples from the surfaces of various sites across different types of biological laboratories. We have qualitatively assessed these possible bacterial contaminants, and found distinct differences in their bacterial community composition. We also found that the types of laboratories had a larger influence than the sampling sites in shaping the bacterial community, in terms of both structure and richness. On the other hand, the public areas of the different types of laboratories shared very similar sets of bacteria. Tracing the main sources of these bacteria, we identified both environmental and human factors that are important factors in shaping the diversity and dynamics of these possible bacterial contaminations in biological laboratories. These possible bacterial contaminants that we have identified will be helpful for people who aim to eliminate them from samples.