• HDMs accumulation varied significantly among home textile types • Regional climate disparities affected HDM allergen levels and bacterial diversity • Factors such as household size correlated with dust mite allergen levels • Architectural features had stronger impacts on bacterial community diversity • Mite-bacteria interactions differed between bedding and sofa cushion dust Home textiles and bedding can harbor bacteria and dust mites, posing potential health hazards; however, their co-occurrence patterns remain unclear. This study quantified Der p 1 and Der f 1 allergens in residential dust across five Chinese regions, analyzing mites ’ spatial distributions in textiles and bedding under environmental, architectural, and lifestyle influences. Results revealed higher median allergen levels in southern China versus northern regions, with sofa cushions containing higher concentrations than bedding. Der p 1 in bedding was correlated with indoor temperature, while Der f 1 in sofa cushions was linked to humidity ( p < 0.05). Vacuuming frequency and household occupancy were identified as factors showing significant associations with allergen concentration ( p < 0.05). 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing then systematically characterized community composition in textile dust. At the phylum level, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria , and Firmicutes dominated bacterial communities in textile dust. Dominant bacterial genera differed across regions, with marked regional variations in α-diversity. Compared to occupant behavior, architectural features were more associated with variations in bacterial diversity. The potential links between bacterial taxa and allergen levels were explored using random forest modeling. Genera such as Shewanella and Psychrobacter were identified by the model in association with of Der p 1, whereas Peptostreptococcus and Micrococcaceae were featured for Der f 1. While the overall model performance was low, these specific findings suggest the possibility of symbiotic or trophic potential associations between certain bacterial genera and dust mites in home environments, which could have implications for understanding human health risks.
Zhang et al. (Sun,) studied this question.