Cockroach Microbiome\nDisrupts Indoor Environmental\nMicrobial Ecology with Potential Public Health Implications

Cockroaches pose a significant global public health concern.\nHowever,\nbesides the well-recognized cockroach-induced allergy, the potential\nimpact of the cockroach microbiome on human health through various\nmeans is not yet fully elucidated. This study aimed to clarify the\nhealth impacts of cockroaches by investigating the microbial interactions\namong cockroaches, the indoor environment, and humans. We simultaneously\ncollected cockroach, indoor environment (indoor air and floor dust),\nand human (exhaled breath condensate and skin) samples from residential\nareas in five cities representing distinct climate zones in China.\nThe 16S rDNA sequencing results revealed that cockroaches harbor diverse\nbacterial populations that vary across different cities. The prevalence\nof potential pathogenic bacteria (PPB) in cockroaches ranged from\n1.1% to 58.9%, with dominant resistance genes conferring resistance\nto tetracycline, macrolide, and beta-lactam. The relationships between\nthe cockroach microbiome and the associated environmental and human\nmicrobiomes were explored by using fast expectation-maximization microbial\nsource tracking (FEAST). The potential contribution of cockroach bacteria\nto the floor dust-borne microbiome and indoor airborne microbiome\nwas estimated to be 5.6% and 1.3%, respectively. Similarly, the potential\ncontribution of cockroach PPB to the floor dust-borne microbiome and\nindoor airborne microbiome was calculated to be 4.0% and 1.2%, respectively.\nIn residences with cockroach infestations, the contribution of other\nsources to the indoor environment was slightly increased. Collectively,\nthe role of cockroaches in the transmission of microorganisms, particularly\npathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes, cannot be overlooked.