Analysis of Microbiome DNA on Frequently Touched Items and from Palm Prints

Limited by the sensitivity of laboratory techniques, conventional human DNA analysis of touch DNA on frequently used items and prints does not always provide satisfactory results. In this study, microbiome DNA on personal computers, cell phones, and palm prints was analyzed and compared. After sample collection, DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction amplification, library preparation, and sequencing, data were analyzed using the QIIME 1.8.0 software. Weighted unifrac distance between the right palm skin and the right side of a keyboard, the right palm skin and the mouse, and the left side of the keyboard and the left palm skin was 0.258850, 0.265474, and 0.214098, respectively. Even after palm prints were left for 1 week, microbial community structures were still quite similar to those of samples collected from the palm skin on the day they were left (weighted unifrac distance was 0.270885).