Biogeography of Microorganisms in Kindergarten Reveals Higher Pathogenic Bacteria Proportion on Children Hands than Daily Items. Kindergarten Biogeography of Microorganisms

The modernization of our society has led to an increasing enrollment of young children in kindergartens which increases the exposure and transmission of microorganisms and their associated infectious diseases. To better manage hygiene levels and minimize the spread of illnesses in kindergarten settings, it is crucial to understand the microbial diversity and community interactions between environmental surfaces and the hands of children. However, these are still poorly resolved. In this study, 7 sites in a kindergarten and the palms of children were sampled and analyzed with metagenomics next-generation sequencing method to characterize the microorganisms present at species-level resolution. This allows for the revealing of the encyclopedic pathogenic biogeography across surfaces and predict sites with high inter-microbial transmission with the children’s hands. Importantly, amongst the sites, children’s hands were found to possess the highest relative abundance of pathogenic microorganisms, highlighting the significance in maintaining good hand hygiene practices in young children. Overall, these findings provide a better understanding of the pathogenic microorganisms present in the kindergarten environment, and a clue for assessing and tackling potential cross-transmission caused infections arising from such exposure.