Application of metagenomics in the analysis of microbial diversity in soil of hospitals

Abstract

Hospitals play a vital role in the health and well-being of human beings. However, the biomedical waste generated by hospitals poses a serious threat to general health due to the high potential of disease transmission through pathogenic bacterial strains from hospitals’ dumpsites via any mode of contact. Therefore, methods for the analysis of microbial diversity in the environmental samples surrounding the dumpsites of hospitals are required for a better understanding of ‘hospitals acquired infections’ (HAI) transmission. Metagenomics provides a solution to this problem by providing methods that allow the isolation of microbial DNA from the environment that cannot be cultured and hence has never been studied before. The utilization of metagenomic approaches in the investigation of bacterial diversity in the environment of hospitals could provide the results that can contribute toward understanding the involvement of hospitals in the transmission of HAIs and to the development of strategies and protocols for proper disposal of biomedical wastes generated by hospitals accordingly.