Table 1 Beneficial microorganisms in mental health studies found in the built environment
From: The microbiome of the built environment and mental health
| Phylum/microorganism | Model | Environmental sources | Presence in MoBE | Mental health relevant findingsa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actinobacteria | ||||
| Mycobacterium vaccae | Human | Environmental saprophyte (soil, mud, water, grasses, decaying organic matter) [119–125] | Soil floors [123], reservoirs [125], well water [122, 126], cooling towers [126, 127], water distribution systems [128], household tap water [126, 129], moisture-damaged building materials [130], terraria [131], sewage [122], drainage pools [132], wastewater treatment plants [133] | Increased cognitive function, decreased pain in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer [134] |
| Mouse | Activation of brain serotonergic systems and antidepressant-like behavioral effects [135]; decreased anxiety/increased cognitive function [136] | |||
| Bifidobacterium breve | Mouse | Human commensal | Human and animal wastewater, wastewater treatment plants [137] | Increased cognitive function [138]; decreased anxiety-related behaviors [139] |
| Bifidobacterium infantis | Rat | Human commensal | Human and animal wastewater, wastewater treatment plants [137] | Reversal of depressive-like behavior following maternal separation [140] |
| Bifidobacterium longum | Human | Human commensal | Human wastewater, wastewater treatment plants [137] | Decreased anxiety and depressive symptoms in healthy volunteers (administered with L. helveticus) [141, 142] |
| Mouse | Decreased-colitis associated anxiety [143, 144]; increased cognitive function [138]; decreased stress, anxiety- and depression-related behaviors [139] | |||
| Bacteroidetes | ||||
| Bacteroides fragilis | Mouse | Human commensal | Human and animal wastewater, wastewater treatment plants [145] | Developmental protection from some of the behavioral symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder [146] |
| Firmicutes | ||||
| Clostridium butyricum | Human | Endospore-forming soil bacterium | Anxiolytic effects [147] | |
| Enterococcus faecium | Mouse | Human commensal, wetlands [148] | Well water, human and animal wastewater, wastewater treatment plants [148] | Increased brain antioxidant markers [149] |
| Lactobacillus casei | Human | Human commensal, fermented foods [150] | Human and animal wastewater, wastewater treatment plants [150], office space (Lactobacillus spp.), bathroom surfaces (Lactobacillaceae) [151] | Improvement in anxiety symptoms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome [152]; improved mood [153] |
| Lactobacillus fermentum | Rat | Human commensal, raw vegetables [154], fermented foods [150, 155] | Sewage [155], office space (Lactobacillus spp.) [156], bathroom surfaces (Lactobacillaceae) [151] | Decreased anxiety and inhibition of antibiotic-induced cognitive impairment [157] |
| Lactobacillus helveticus | Human | Fermented foods [150] | Office space (Lactobacillus spp.) [156], bathroom surfaces (Lactobacillaceae) [151] | Decreased anxiety and depressive symptoms in healthy volunteers (administered with B. longum) [141, 142] |
| Rat | Improved cognitive function, decreased anxiety-related behavior [158]; prevention of stress-induced cognitive impairment and anxiety- and depressive-like responses [159] | |||
| Mouse | Decreased anxiety-related behavior [160]; improved cognitive function, decreased anxiety-related behavior (administered with L. rhamnosus) [15, 161] | |||
| Lactobacillus pentosus | Fermented foods [150] | Sewage [155], office space (Lactobacillus spp.) [156], bathroom surfaces (Lactobacillaceae) [151] | Improved cognitive function [162] | |
| Lactobacillus reuteri | Human | Human commensal, fermented foods [150] | Office space (Lactobacillus spp.) [156], bathroom surfaces (Lactobacillaceae) [151] | Increased workplace healthiness [163] |
| Lactobacillus rhamnosus | Mouse | Human commensal, fermented foods [150] | Sewage [155], office space (Lactobacillus spp.) [156], bathroom surfaces (Lactobacillaceae) [151] | Vagus nerve-dependent alterations in GABA receptor mRNA expression in brain, reduced anxiety- and depression-related behavior [17]; improved cognitive function, decreased anxiety-related behavior (administered with L. helveticus) [161, 164] |
| Probiotic cocktails | ||||
| B. bifidum, B. lactis, L. acidophilus, L. brevis, L. casei, L. salivarius, L. lactis | Human | Reduced cognitive reactivity to sad mood [165] | ||
| B. animalis subsp. Lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. Lactis subsp. Lactis | Human | Altered task-related response of brain networks involving affective, viscerosensory, and somatosensory cortices [166] | ||
| L. acidophilus, B. lactis | Human | Improved scores on anxiety, depression, and stress scales [167] | ||
| L. casei, L. acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. bulgaricus, B. breve, B. longum, S. thermophilus | Human | Improved scores on anxiety, depression, and stress scales [167] | ||
| VSL#3: S. salivarius subsp. thermophilus, B. breve, B. infantis, B. longum, L. acidophilus, L. planarum, L. casei, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus | Mouse | Decreased sickness behavior, decreased microglial activation [168] | ||
| L. plantarum, L. curvatus | Rat | Improved cognitive function [169] | ||
| L. acidophilus, B. lactis, L. fermentum | Rat | Improved cognitive function [170] | ||
| L. helveticus, B. longum | Rat | Decreased depressive-like behavior [171] |