Antibiotic Resistance and Taxonomic Diversity of Residential and Office Dust Bacterial Communities: Potential Environmental Reservoirs of Resistance

The taxonomic diversity and antibiotic resistance profiles of cultured bacteria were examined in dust samples from residential and office premises. The number of strains resistant to individual antibiotics was significantly higher among bacteria in residential dust than among strains isolated from office dust. The isolates were predominantly members of the genera Microbacterium, Stenotrophomonas, Acinetobacter, and Enterococcus. Microbial communities from residential dust samples were characterized by greater genera diversity and a higher incidence of multidrug resistance, particularly among Stenotrophomonas isolates. The findings suggest a role for household dust as a potential reservoir of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.