Microbial contamination in the indoor environment of Arabian Gulf: a review
) were frequently reported in various samples as airborne bioaerosols, on damp building materials, on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) components, and in settled dust. These loads are often exacerbated by regional heat and humidity conditions, dust intrusion, and heavy reliance on air conditioning. Reported concentration ranges of microbial contaminants are accompanied by health-related risk assessments for the most identified microbial taxa indoors. Significant inadequacies are noted in this review, including inconsistent country coverage, a shortage of studies on indoor biological contaminants, and a lack of comparable air, surface, and dust sampling. The need for regional recommendations, standardized sampling and reporting procedures, moisture and condensation control, strict HVAC cleanliness and filtration, the deterioration of indoor air quality, the danger of infectious exposure and regular monitoring for direct remediation are highlighted here. These actions can reduce microbial loads and improve indoor environmental sustainability across the region.
Authors
- Mohamad Al Hallak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4081-8627)
- Gabriel Haddad
Institutions
- American University of the Middle East (KW)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Microbiology
- Published
- 2026-03-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1796861
- Primary Topic
- Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00