dogs increase the biodiversity of the microbiomes in the homes on the skin of their owners.

Dr. Rob Dunn is a biologist at NC State University. His research suggests that dogs increase the biodiversity of the microbiomes in the homes on the skin of their owners. The overall impact is likely good and it is certainly reciprocal. At Galaxy, we wonder how many medically important bacteria, like Bartonella, are involved in these microbiomes shared by dogs and their owners?

http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/05/24/2013/having-a-dog-may-mean-having-extra-microbes.html




MAY. 24, 2013

Having a Dog May Mean Having Extra Microbes

Image courtesy of Shutterstock, dog

Reporting in PLoS One, biologist Rob Dunn, of North Carolina State University, and colleagues surveyed people’s pillow cases, refrigerators, toilet seats, TV screens and other household spots to learn about the microbes that dwell within our homes. Among the findings: Abodes with dogs had more diverse bacterial communities, and higher numbers of “dog-associated” bacteria.

Produced by Annette Heist, Senior Producer

GUESTS

• Rob Dunn
  Author: Every Living Thing: Man’s Obsessive Quest to Catalog Life, from Nanobacteria to New Monkeys (Smithsonian, 2008); The Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are Today(Harper, 2011)
  Biologist, Department of Biology
  North Carolina State University
  Raleigh, North Carolina

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