A growing proportion of the global population is living in urbanized cities, making hygiene in man-made environments, especially indoor ones, of importance to the health of occupants. In a new study published in Nature Communications, the research group of Prof. Patrick Lee, Professor of School of Energy and Environment, has shed light on the complex biological interactions between viruses and bacteria in man-made environments.

The study shows that the diversity, composition, metabolic functions, and lifestyle of viruses vary according to the conditions of each man-made environment. Furthermore, viruses frequently interact with bacteria to potentially aid the survival of bacteria in the nutrient-poor man-made environments. These results imply that customized strategies need to be developed to reduce human exposure to harmful bacteria and viruses to better protect occupants’ health.

For more information about the study, please refer to CityU News.