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Book Epidemiology of Fecal Protozoa at the Human  Animal  and Environmental Interface

Download or read book Epidemiology of Fecal Protozoa at the Human Animal and Environmental Interface written by Jennifer Nicole Hogan and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cryptosporidium and Giardia are important disease agents for both humans and animals worldwide. Unlike many pathogens, their capacity for surviving in soil and water for extended periods of time enables environmental transmission. Both parasites replicate within warm-blooded vertebrate hosts and are excreted as an environmentally resistant oocyst or cyst, respectively. New hosts become infected through ingestion of oocysts or cysts in contaminated water, food, or soil. The objective of this thesis work was to utilize an epidemiologic approach to identify environmental factors associated with the prevalence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp. in California coastal wetlands, as well as to ascertain the prevalence and identify potential transmission pathways within the animal community in the Virunga Massif, Rwanda. Because Cryptosporidium and Giardia are waterborne parasites, key factors in wetland ecology were examined for their impact on parasite levels in water. First, concentrations of these parasites within three coastal California wetlands were determined. Proximity to livestock operations and recent rainfall events were associated with increased pathogen levels. Second, experimental models mimicking wetland characteristics were used to isolate the effects of several parameters. Vertical settling columns identified increased salinity as leading to slower settling of Giardia and horizontal flow mesocosm tanks identified increased salinity as leading to slower removal of Cryptosporidium. Furthermore, presence of vegetation led to enhanced removal of Cryptosporidium oocysts, Giardia cysts, and Toxoplasma gondii surrogates from surface water in the mesocosm tanks. The impact of Cryptosporidium and Giardia on animal health is important not only because many wildlife species are suspected to be reservoirs of these parasites for humans, but also because the effect of infection with these parasites on health is of concern in vulnerable wildlife species. To assess the impact of these parasites on mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), a critically endangered primate restricted to two forests located in Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, an investigation was conducted comparing protozoal prevalence and strain identity in mountain gorillas, domestic cattle, and forest buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus). Giardia was found in all three species, and genotyping results identified genotypic assemblage B in the gorilla samples and assemblage E in the cattle samples. While this study did not confirm a transmission pathway between cattle and gorillas using the forest buffalo as an intermediary, it suggests that future work should also evaluate humans as potentially contributing to fecal pathogen contamination within the forest. Environmentally transmitted protozoa are of global health concern due to their extended survival outside of a host, coupled with the relative difficulty and expense of detection in environmental samples. The drivers for protozoal disease transmission, as detailed in Chapter 1, emphasize the key role that environmental change has on Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Some of these changes are evaluated in Chapters 2 and 3, which highlight research conducted on protozoal transport through coastal wetlands. Health impacts of these protozoa on wildlife and livestock cannot be discounted, and Chapter 4 surveys the presence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in a complex wildlife community in Rwanda.

Book Animal Waste  Water Quality and Human Health

Download or read book Animal Waste Water Quality and Human Health written by A. Dufour and published by IWA Publishing. This book was released on 2012-10-14 with total page 489 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Domestic animals contaminate recreational waters and drinking-water sources with excreta and pathogens; but this threat to public health is inadequately understood and is insufficiently addressed in regulations. More than 85% of the world’s faecal wastes is from domestic animals such as poultry, cattle, sheep and pigs. These animals harbor zoonotic pathogens that are transported in the environment by water, especially runoff. However little information exists on health effects associated with exposure to this potential hazard to human health; and water standards focused on control of human fecal contamination do reflect the contribution of non-human fecal contamination to risk. Does compliance with current monitoring practices using microbial indicators provide protection against animal and bird sources of fecal contamination? Prepared with contributions from a group of international experts, Animal Waste, Water Quality and Human Health considers microbial contamination from domestic animal and bird sources and explores the health hazards associated with this microbial contamination and approaches to protecting public health. Animal Waste, Water Quality and Human Health will be of interest to regulators with responsibility for recreational waters, drinking water quality and water reuse; policymakers working in water quality, public health and agriculture; decision makers responsible for livestock management; and scientists and practitioners concerned with many affected subjects. Topics covered include: Credible waterborne zoonotic pathogens are discussed and ranked according to their potential hazard level. Each pathogen is described with regard to their sources, reservoirs, and infectivity. Faecal production rates of various domestic animals are discussed, alongside pathogen transmission in animal populations, pathogen prevalence in animals and “supershedders”. Transport of fecal indicator organisms and their episodic occurrence in catchments. Interventions for improving food safety and reducing production losses. The impact of interventions, e.g. enhanced attenuation and storage to prevent spills; benchmarking against best management practices to reduce diffuse source contamination. Models to inform design of farm-scale best management practices and the effectiveness of best management practices for attenuating pathogen transport within catchments. The complex nature of human exposure to zoonotic waterborne pathogens; including the relationships among livestock waste contamination, water impairment, zoonotic pathogens, and human infection and illness. Human exposure interventions include case studies that discuss eradicating disease in discharging populations, adding filtration to minimal treated water to reduce Cryptosporidium occurrence and UV disinfection of beach waters to reduce beach postings. Indicators, sanitary surveys and source attribution techniques; risk assessment of exposure to zoonotic pathogens, including an interactive risk comparison approach. A review of epidemiological studies that address the relationship between swimmer illness and exposure to waters contaminated by nonhuman fecal wastes. Economic evaluation of the costs and benefits associated with animal waste management and human health.

Book Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases

Download or read book Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases written by Michel Tibayrenc and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2024-07-19 with total page 1002 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Third Edition discusses the evolving field of infectious diseases and their continued impact on the health of populations, especially in resource-limited areas of the world where they must confront the dual burden of death and disability due to infectious and chronic illnesses. Although substantial gains have been made in public health interventions for the treatment, prevention, and control of infectious diseases, in recent decades the world has witnessed the emergence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing antimicrobial resistance, and the emergence of many new bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral pathogens. Fully updated and revised, this new edition presents the consequences of such diseases, the evolution of infectious diseases, the genetics of host-pathogen relationship, and the control and prevention strategies that are, or can be, developed. This book offers valuable information to biomedical researchers, clinicians, public health practitioners, decisions-makers, and students and postgraduates studying infectious diseases, microbiology, medicine, and public health that is relevant to the control and prevention of neglected and emerging worldwide diseases. - Takes an integrated approach to infectious diseases - Provides the latest developments in the field of infectious diseases - Focuses on the contribution of evolutionary and genomic studies for the study and control of transmissible diseases - Includes updated and revised contributions from leading authorities, along with six new chapters

Book Emerging Issues in Water and Infectious Disease

Download or read book Emerging Issues in Water and Infectious Disease written by World Health Organization and published by . This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Infectious, water-related diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. This publication helps to broaden awareness of emerging issued in water and infectious disease and to guide readers to sources of information that deal with these issues in greater depth.

Book Giardia and Cryptosporidium

Download or read book Giardia and Cryptosporidium written by Guadalupe Ortega-Pierres and published by CABI. This book was released on 2009 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Giardia and Cryptosporidium are both parasites of considerable global interest due to the gastrointestinal problems these organisms can cause in humans as well as domestic and wild animals. Despite its long history as the causative agent of giardiasis, the clinical and zoonotic significance of Giardia infections in humans and animals is only beginning to emerge with the application of molecular tools. Less is known about Cryptosporidium and studies seek to understand the impact of infection in livestock and other animals, its epidemiology and zoonotic significance. Presenting a comprehensive overview of recent research this book draws on the experience of experts in all fields of Giardia and Cryptosporidium research.

Book The Behavioral Ecology of the Tibetan Macaque

Download or read book The Behavioral Ecology of the Tibetan Macaque written by Jin-Hua Li and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-11-18 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book summarizes the multi-disciplinary results of one of China’s main primatological research projects on the endemic Tibetan macaque (Macaca thibetana), which had continued for over 30 years, but which had never been reported on systematically. Dedicated to this exceptional Old World monkey, this book makes the work of Chinese primatologists on the social behavior, cooperation, culture, cognition, group dynamics, and emerging technologies in primate research accessible to the international scientific community. One of the most impressive Asian monkeys, and the largest member of its genus, the Tibetan macaque deserves to be better known. This volume goes a long way towards bringing this species into the spotlight with many excellent behavioral analyses from the field. - Frans de Waal, Professor of Psychology, Emory University, USA. Macaques matter. To understand primate patterns and trends, and to gain important insight into humanity, we need to augment and expand our engagement with the most successful and widespread primate genus aside from Homo. This volume focuses on the Tibetan macaque, a fascinating species with much to tell us about social behavior, physiology, complexity and the macaque knack for interfacing with humans. This book is doubly important for primatology in that beyond containing core information on this macaque species, it also reflects an effective integrated collaboration between Chinese scholars and a range of international colleagues—exactly the type of collaborative engagement primatology needs. This volume is a critical contribution to a global primatology. - Agustín Fuentes, Professor of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, USA. I have many fond memories of my association with Mt. Huangshan research beginning in 1983, when together with Professor Qishan Wang we established this site. It is such a beautiful place and I miss it. It is gratifying to see how far research has progressed since we began work there, becoming more internationalized and very much a collaborative endeavor under the long-term direction of Professor Jin-Hua Li and colleagues. This book highlights the increased interest in this species, representing a variety of disciplines ranging from macro aspects of behavior, cognition and sociality, to micro aspects of microbes, parasites and disease, authored by a group of renowned Chinese and international primatologists. I applaud their efforts and expect more interesting work to come from this site in the years ahead. - Kazuo Wada, Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University, Japan.

Book Research Priorities for Zoonoses and Marginalized Infections

Download or read book Research Priorities for Zoonoses and Marginalized Infections written by TDR Disease Reference Group on Zoonoses and Marginalized Infectious Diseases of Poverty and published by WHO Technical Report. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report provides a review and analysis of the research landscape for zoonoses and marginalized infections which affect poor populations, and a list of research priorities to support disease control. The work is the output of the disease reference group on zoonoses and marginalized infectious diseases (DRG6), which is part of an independent think tank of international experts, established and funded by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), to identify key research priorities through the review of research evidence and input from stakeholder consultations. The report covers a diverse range of diseases including zoonotic helminth protozoa, viral and bacterial infections considered to be neglected and associated with poverty. Disease-specific research issues were elaborated under individual disease sections and many common priorities were readily identified among the disease such as need for new and/or improved drugs and regimens, diagnostics and, where appropriate, vaccines. The disease specific priorities are described as micro priorities compared with the macro level priorities which will drive such policies as the need for improved surveillance; the need for inter-sectoral interaction between health, livestock, agriculture, natural resources and wildlife in tackling the zoonotic diseases; and the need for a true assessment of the burden of the zoonoses. This is one of ten disease and thematic reference group reports that have come out of the TDR Think Tank, all of which have contributed to the development of the Global Report for Research on Infectious Diseases of Poverty.

Book Zoonoses   Infections Affecting Humans and Animals

Download or read book Zoonoses Infections Affecting Humans and Animals written by Andreas Sing and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-12-08 with total page 1127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book will cover the most important zoonoses with a public health impact and debate actual developments in this field from a One Health perspective. The outline of the book follows a “setting” approach, i.e. special settings of zoonoses with a public health aspect, rather than presenting a simple textbook of an encyclopedic character. Main chapters will deal with zoonoses in the food chain including a special focus on the emerging issue of antibiotic resistance, with zoonoses in domestic and pet animals, in wildlife animal species (including bats as an important infectious agent multiplier), influenza and tuberculosis as most prominent zoonoses, and zoonotic pathogens as bioterroristic agents. Special interest chapters debate non-resolved and currently hotly debated zoonoses (e.g. M. Crohn/paratuberculosis, chronic botulism) as well as the economic and ecological aspects of zoonoses.

Book Netter s Infectious Diseases   E Book

Download or read book Netter s Infectious Diseases E Book written by Elaine C. Jong and published by Elsevier Health Sciences. This book was released on 2021-03-19 with total page 643 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Widely used by students, residents, generalists, and specialists, Netter's Infectious Diseases, 2nd Edition delivers must-know information on infectious diseases in a highly illustrated, easily accessible format. Concise visual overviews of essential topics provide a convenient, trustworthy way to review the basics of a given infectious disease or issue or to share with patients or staff. Drs. Elaine Jong and Dennis Stevens cover the wide spectrum of illness and disease in this complex field using memorable illustrations by world-renowned artist Frank H. Netter and others, offering a time-saving, authoritative look at infectious disease risk factors, clinical presentations, pathophysiology, and more. - Covers major conditions and problems such as vaccine-preventable diseases, drug-resistant staph, community acquired pneumonia, surgical infections, pyelonephritis, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections—and provides updated approaches to diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and standards of care. - Includes new clinical vignettes added to most chapters - Provides updated and expanded coverage of emerging infectious diseases such as multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), neuroangiostrongyliasis (rat lungworm disease), Ebola virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Disease (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Coronavirus Infectious Disease-2019 (COVID-19), and novel influenza viruses including public health concerns. - Covers vector-borne diseases including malaria, yellow fever, Zika infections and congenital Zika syndrome, West Nile fever, Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, and Chagas disease plus others. - New chapters on travelers' diarrhea, cholera, and primary amebic meningoencephalitis debut in the section on international travel and outdoor activities. - Contains memorable parasite life cycles and unforgettable parasite infection clinical vignettes. - Features unparalleled illustrations by Drs. Frank H. Netter, Carlos Machado, and others, as well as radiologic images. - Provides 24 printable patient education brochures in the digital ebook.

Book Global Mapping of Infectious Diseases

Download or read book Global Mapping of Infectious Diseases written by and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2007-03-23 with total page 443 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1963, Advances in Parasitology contains comprehensive and up-to-date reviews in all areas of interest in contemporary parasitology. This volume is an outline of global environmental and global population data including scripts for predicting disease distributions and evaluating the accuracy of these mapped products. Several application chapters discuss current research topics appropriately addressed at the global scale. Topics such as tick-borne disease and the mapping of geographic and phylogenetic space; implications of global ecozonation and transportation networks on pathogen flow; and the impacts of climate change on vector-borne diseases are covered in this latest volume.* Includes DVD of global environmental and global population data, including scripts for predicting disease distributions and evaluating the accuracy of these mapped products* Valuable source of both technical and epidemiological data in this rapidly growing field* Discusses practical applications of techniques to the study of parasitic and infectious diseases

Book Taking a Multisectoral One Health Approach   A Tripartite Guide to Addressing Zoonotic Diseases in Countries

Download or read book Taking a Multisectoral One Health Approach A Tripartite Guide to Addressing Zoonotic Diseases in Countries written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2019-03-11 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 2018 FAO-OIE-WHO (Tripartite) zoonoses guide, “Taking A Multisectoral, One Health Approach: A Tripartite Guide to Addressing Zoonotic Diseases in Countries” (2018 TZG) is being jointly developed to provide member countries with practical guidance on OH approaches to build national mechanisms for multisectoral coordination, communication, and collaboration to address zoonotic disease threats at the animal-human-environment interface. The 2018 TZG updates and expands on the guidance in the one previous jointly-developed, zoonoses-specific guidance document: the 2008 Tripartite “Zoonotic Diseases: A Guide to Establishing Collaboration between Animal and Human Health Sectors at the Country Level”, developed in WHO South-East Asia Region and Western Pacific Region. The 2018 TZG supports building by countries of the resilience and capacity to address emerging and endemic zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza, rabies, Ebola, and Rift Valley fever, as well as food-borne diseases and antimicrobial resistance, and to minimize their impacts on health, livelihoods, and economies. It additionally supports country efforts to implement WHO International Health Regulations (2005) and OIE international standards, to address gaps identified through external and internal health system evaluations, and to achieve targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2018 TZG provides relevant country ministries and agencies with lessons learned and good practices identified from country-level experiences in taking OH approaches for preparedness, prevention, detection and response to zoonotic disease threats, and provides guidance on multisectoral communication, coordination, and collaboration. It informs on regional and country-level OH activities and relevant unisectoral and multisectoral tools available for countries to use.

Book Principles and Practice of Clinical Parasitology

Download or read book Principles and Practice of Clinical Parasitology written by Stephen Gillespie and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2003-01-24 with total page 680 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive account of protozoan and metozoan diseases in modern clinical practice, with orientation towards clinical management of parasitic infections. In the past, parasitology was considered as an obscure subject of little relevance to the majority of clinicians and microbiologists. Over the last decade, however, much has happened to change this, not least the explosion in foreign travel This textbook is the forth in the Principles and Practice series, providing an expansive and detailed coverage of clinical microbiology. It has a similar appeal to that of Zuckerman's, Principles & Practice of Clinical Virology, with an international authorship and emphasis placed on integrating new knowledge in a clinically relevant manner. . An essential, up-to-date sourcebook on the fundamentals of human parasitology . Provides a global approach with renowned and international authorship . Completes the quartet of Principles and Practice series in Microbiology

Book Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water   2015 Update and MDG Assessment

Download or read book Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water 2015 Update and MDG Assessment written by and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2015-10-02 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite significant progress in water and sanitation much still remains to be done. This report shows how the world has changed since 1990. It provides an assessment of progress towards the MDG target and insight into the remaining challenges. Section A provides an overview of progress against the parameters specified in the MDG target for water and sanitation in both urban and rural areas. It presents data for the world as a whole and compares progress across regions. The report goes on to examine trends over the MDG period by region and by level of service. It pays particular attention to the numbers of people who have gained the highest level of service in drinking water supply - piped water on premises - and those with no service at all who use surface water for drinking and practice open defecation. In order to understand the nature of progress it is important to look carefully at the way improvements in water and sanitation have benefited different socioeconomic groups. This report sheds light on equality gaps between urban and rural dwellers and between the richest and poorest segments of the population. It presents several new ways to visualize progress on extending service to the poor designed to reveal the nature of inequalities and give the reader insight into the great challenge that still exists in ensuring that progress reaches everyone. The JMP was established in 1990 and is celebrating its Jubilee Year in 2015. Section B provides a retrospective analysis of the evolution of water sanitation and hygiene monitoring over the past 25 years.

Book The Social Biology of Microbial Communities

Download or read book The Social Biology of Microbial Communities written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-01-10 with total page 633 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beginning with the germ theory of disease in the 19th century and extending through most of the 20th century, microbes were believed to live their lives as solitary, unicellular, disease-causing organisms . This perception stemmed from the focus of most investigators on organisms that could be grown in the laboratory as cellular monocultures, often dispersed in liquid, and under ambient conditions of temperature, lighting, and humidity. Most such inquiries were designed to identify microbial pathogens by satisfying Koch's postulates.3 This pathogen-centric approach to the study of microorganisms produced a metaphorical "war" against these microbial invaders waged with antibiotic therapies, while simultaneously obscuring the dynamic relationships that exist among and between host organisms and their associated microorganisms-only a tiny fraction of which act as pathogens. Despite their obvious importance, very little is actually known about the processes and factors that influence the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities. Gaining this knowledge will require a seismic shift away from the study of individual microbes in isolation to inquiries into the nature of diverse and often complex microbial communities, the forces that shape them, and their relationships with other communities and organisms, including their multicellular hosts. On March 6 and 7, 2012, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop to explore the emerging science of the "social biology" of microbial communities. Workshop presentations and discussions embraced a wide spectrum of topics, experimental systems, and theoretical perspectives representative of the current, multifaceted exploration of the microbial frontier. Participants discussed ecological, evolutionary, and genetic factors contributing to the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities; how microbial communities adapt and respond to environmental stimuli; theoretical and experimental approaches to advance this nascent field; and potential applications of knowledge gained from the study of microbial communities for the improvement of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health and toward a deeper understanding of microbial diversity and evolution. The Social Biology of Microbial Communities: Workshop Summary further explains the happenings of the workshop.

Book Brucellosis in Humans and Animals

Download or read book Brucellosis in Humans and Animals written by Michael J. Corbel and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2006 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brucellosis, also known as undulant fever, Mediterranean fever, or Malta fever, is an important human disease in many parts of the world. It is a zoonosis and the infection is almost invariably transmitted to people by direct or indirect contact with infected animals or their products. These Guidelines are designed as a concise, yet comprehensive, statement on brucellosis for public health, veterinary and laboratory personnel without access to specialized services. They are also to be a source of accessible and updated information for such others as nurses, midwives and medical assistants who may have to be involved with brucellosis in humans. Emphasis is placed on fundamental measures of environmental and occupational hygiene in the community and in the household as well as on the sequence of actions required to detect and treat patients.

Book WHO Estimates of the Global Burden of Foodborne Diseases

Download or read book WHO Estimates of the Global Burden of Foodborne Diseases written by World Health Organization and published by . This book was released on 2016-01-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The report presents the first global and regional estimates of the burden of foodborne diseases. The large disease burden from food highlights the importance of food safety, particularly in Africa, South-East Asia and other regions. Despite the data gaps and limitations of these initial estimates, it is apparent that the global burden of foodborne diseases is considerable, and affects individuals of all ages, particularly children

Book Microbiomes of the Built Environment

    Book Details:
  • Author : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
  • Publisher : National Academies Press
  • Release : 2017-10-06
  • ISBN : 0309449839
  • Pages : 318 pages

Download or read book Microbiomes of the Built Environment written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2017-10-06 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People's desire to understand the environments in which they live is a natural one. People spend most of their time in spaces and structures designed, built, and managed by humans, and it is estimated that people in developed countries now spend 90 percent of their lives indoors. As people move from homes to workplaces, traveling in cars and on transit systems, microorganisms are continually with and around them. The human-associated microbes that are shed, along with the human behaviors that affect their transport and removal, make significant contributions to the diversity of the indoor microbiome. The characteristics of "healthy" indoor environments cannot yet be defined, nor do microbial, clinical, and building researchers yet understand how to modify features of indoor environmentsâ€"such as building ventilation systems and the chemistry of building materialsâ€"in ways that would have predictable impacts on microbial communities to promote health and prevent disease. The factors that affect the environments within buildings, the ways in which building characteristics influence the composition and function of indoor microbial communities, and the ways in which these microbial communities relate to human health and well-being are extraordinarily complex and can be explored only as a dynamic, interconnected ecosystem by engaging the fields of microbial biology and ecology, chemistry, building science, and human physiology. This report reviews what is known about the intersection of these disciplines, and how new tools may facilitate advances in understanding the ecosystem of built environments, indoor microbiomes, and effects on human health and well-being. It offers a research agenda to generate the information needed so that stakeholders with an interest in understanding the impacts of built environments will be able to make more informed decisions.