This document describes a citizen science project aimed at exploring the microbial diversity found in homes across the United States. The project is led by researchers from the University of Colorado and NC State University. They have recruited over 6,000 volunteer households to collect samples from various surfaces in their homes that will be sequenced and analyzed to study patterns in the bacteria and fungi present. Their goals are to better understand how indoor and outdoor microbial communities relate and how factors like climate, pets, and house characteristics influence the microbes that live in homes. So far they have conducted a pilot study of 20 homes in North Carolina and are now analyzing samples from over 1,000 homes with plans to expand the study.

1. Microbial
Life
in
Your
Home
Project
Directors:
Noah
Fierer
(Assoc.
Professor,
Univ.
of
Colorado)
Rob
Dunn
(Assoc.
Professor,
NC
State
Univ.)
Project
Personnel:
Holly
Menninger
(Director
of
Public
Science,
NC
State
Univ.)
Jon
Leff
(Research
Assoc.,
Univ.
of
Colorado)
Gilberto
Flores
(Postdoc,
Univ.
of
Colorado)

2. Project
Goals:
1. Explore
broad
paKerns
governing
the
distribuLon
of
bacteria
and
fungi
in
houses
across
the
U.S.
2. Generate
interest
in
the
unexplored
microbial
diversity
found
all
around
us
3. Engage
‘ciLzen
scienLsts’
in
the
scienLfic
process
of
exploring
microbial
ecology

3. Skin-­‐assoc.
taxa
Fecal-­‐assoc.
taxa
Soil-­‐assoc.
taxa
Flores
et
al.
PLoS
One.
2011.

4. Microbial
biogeography
of
the
kitchen
PCo1
scores
–
kitchen
#1

5. Propionibacterium
(#69)
Corynebacterium
(#6)
Pseudomonas
(#3)
Erwinia
(#12)

6. Salmonella
(#409)
Campylobacter
(#302)
Listeria
(#1044)

7. How
does
microbial
diversity
outside
homes
relate
to
that
found
inside
homes?
How
does
x
influence
house-­‐associated
bacterial
and
fungal
communiHes
across
the
U.S.?
x
=
presence
of
pets
in
the
home
climate
surrounding
land-­‐use
type
(e.g.
urban
vs.
rural)
house
occupancy
vegetarian/non-­‐vegetarian
house
type
(e.g.
free-­‐standing
vs.
apartment)
house
characterisLcs
(e.g.
carpeted
vs.
bare
floors)

8. hKp://www.yourwildlife.org/

9. Ongoing
work:
-­‐
Sequencing
and
analysis
of
samples
collected
from
20
homes
in
North
Carolina
-­‐ Environmental
scanning
electron
microscopy
of
key
house-­‐
associated
microbial
habitats
-­‐ Volunteers
recruited
from
>6,000
houses
across
the
U.S.
Planned
work
(next
6
months):
-­‐ Analyze
samples
from
>1000
houses
-­‐ IdenLfy
and
establish
“super-­‐sampler”
homes
for
longer-­‐term
sampling
-­‐ Design
experiments
and
more
directed
studies
to
build
on
research
findings

10. Pilot
Study
(20
homes
near
Raleigh,
NC)

12. Toilet
Seat
Pillow
case
TV
Screen
Refrigerator
shelf
Door
knob
Kitchen
counter
CuWng
Board
Door
Sill
(outer)
Door
Sill
(inner)

13.
6,127
households
signed
up
to
date
(as
of
12-­‐28-­‐2011)