soil metagenome Metagenome

Long-term exposure to polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in living environment has been connected to chronic health disorders in humans. This is thought to be a consequence of adverse toxin effects. Regardless of the facts that 1) PAH contamination and degradation change soil bacterial communities, 2) richness of many bacterial taxa have been associated with human health, and 3) soil is generally considered the largest reservoir of PAH degrading bacteria, reports on the effects of PAHs pollution on the richness of health-associated bacteria in soil have been lacking. We hypothesize that creosote treatment and PAH degradation alter bacterial communities related to human health. The rationale behind our study is to facilitate reconsidering factors that lead to health disorders in areas characterized by PAHs contamination.