Evaluation of Environmental Hygiene in Railway Vehicles Using Microbiome Analysis

To evaluate environmental hygiene, we introduce a microbiome analysis that comprehensively and qualitatively grasps types and proportions of microbial genes on surfaces and airborne samples in railway vehicles. We monitored commuter vehicles using this analysis technology and confirmed that it was possible to grasp the difference in microbiome for each type of equipment. The result of the microbial diversity on each type of equipment showed that floors have different microbiomes, and that equipment touched directly by passengers, such as handrails and straps, have similar microbiomes. The result of estimation analysis of origin of microorganisms indicates that the proportion of human-derived microbiomes tends to be high on handrails and straps.