Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41340070›Full record

ArticleMicrobiome2025

Metagenomic profiling of airborne microbial communities from aircraft filters and face masks.

Oliyad Jeilu, Jack T Sumner, Anahid A Moghadam, Kelsey N Thompson, Curtis Huttenhower, Charlie Catlett, Erica M Hartmann

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Microbiome, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Oliyad JeiluDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Jack T SumnerDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Anahid A MoghadamDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Kelsey N ThompsonDepartment of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Curtis HuttenhowerDepartment of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Charlie CatlettArgonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Erica M HartmannDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. erica.hartmann@northwestern.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAirborne microbial communities, although often challenging to study due to low biomass, play crucial roles in public health and pathogen transmission. Through shotgun metagenomics, this study utilizes non-invasive air sampling of face masks and aircraft cabin filters to investigate microbial diversity in environments with frequent human interactions, including hospitals and airplanes. A comprehensive sampling and analysis workflow was developed, incorporating environmental and enrichment protocols to enhance microbial DNA recovery and diversity profiling.

resultsDespite limitations in biomass, optimized extraction methods allowed for the successful identification of 407 species, with dominant taxa including Cutibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Sphingomonas hankookensis, and Methylobacterium radiotolerans. Enrichment processing resulted in greater metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) recovery and higher antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) identification.

conclusionsThe findings highlight the presence of ARGs in high-occupancy public spaces, suggesting the importance of monitoring and the potential for mitigating airborne transmission risks in such environments. This study demonstrates the utility of combining environmental and enrichment sampling to capture comprehensive microbial and ARG profiles in confined spaces, providing a framework for enhanced pathogen monitoring in public health contexts. Video Abstract.

Indexed as

AircraftAir FiltersAir MicrobiologyBacteriaMasksMetagenomicsMicrobiotaHumansMetagenomeAirborne microbiomeAircraft cabin filtersFace masksMetagenomicsPathogen surveillance

Identifiers

PMID41340070
PMCPMC12676802

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.