title: Athletic equipment microbiota are shaped by interactions with human skin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Americans spend the vast majority of their lives in built environments. Even traditionally outdoor pursuits, such as exercising, are often now performed indoors. Bacteria that colonize these indoor ecosystems are primarily derived from the human microbiome. The modes of human interaction with indoor surfaces and the physical conditions associated with each surface type determine the steady-state ecology of the microbial community.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bacterial assemblages associated with different surfaces in three athletic facilities, including floors, mats, benches, free weights, and elliptical handles, were sampled every other hour (8 am to 6 pm) for 2 days. Surface and equipment type had a stronger influence on bacterial community composition than the facility in which they were housed. Surfaces that were primarily in contact with human skin exhibited highly dynamic bacterial community composition and non-random co-occurrence patterns, suggesting that different host microbiomes-shaped by selective forces-were being deposited on these surfaces through time. However, bacterial assemblages found on the floors and mats changed less over time, and species co-occurrence patterns appeared random, suggesting more neutral community assembly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These longitudinal patterns highlight the dramatic turnover of microbial communities on surfaces in regular contact with human skin. By uncovering these longitudinal patterns, this study promotes a better understanding of microbe-human interactions within the built environment.
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA ; Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL USA.
authors.forename: Mariah
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL USA ; Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL USA.
authors.forename: Sean M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL USA.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lax
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL USA.
authors.forename: Tifani W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Eshoo-Anton
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL USA ; Computation Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL USA.
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.affiliation: MO BIO Laboratories Inc, Carlsbad, CA USA.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL USA ; Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL USA ; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL USA ; Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, MC 5029, Chicago, IL 60637 USA ; Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA ; College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 China.
authors.forename: Jack A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL USA ; Computation Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL USA.
authors.forename: Jarrad T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hampton-Marcell
keywords: Athletic equipment; Gym microbiome; Microbiology; Next-generation sequencing; Niche communities