Bacterial Diversity and Prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on Common Fitness Center Surfaces in Memphis Metro Area

The indoor and built-environment of public fitness centers have often been associated with a potential route of transmission of community-acquired bacterial infections. However, the overall diversity of the bacterial community residing on the surfaces in these indoor environments is still unknown. In this study, we investigated the bacterial diversity across selected fitness centers in Memphis metropolitan area using culture-independent gene sequencing method. Samples were collected from the skin-contact surfaces (e.g., exercise instruments, floor mats, handrails, etc.) within fitness centers. The taxonomical composition estimated by pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA genes revealed the abundance of Firmicutes phyla, followed by Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, with a total of 17 bacterial families and 25 bacterial genera. Most of these bacterial genera were of human and environmental origin. Staphylococcus was found to be the most prevalent genus. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was identified by amplifying mecA gene using PCR assay. A total of 22 out of 32 samples revealed the presence of MRSA. This high (~69%) prevalence of MRSA may indicate elevated risk of exposures of susceptible individuals to this pathogen. Overall, this study revealed the abundance of relatively diverse microbial communities on the surfaces in public fitness centers. Several factors (including personal hygiene, surface cleaning and disinfection schedules of the facilities) may be responsible for the rich bacterial diversity found in this study. The current finding underscores the need to increase public awareness of the importance of personal hygiene and sanitation for public gym users. In addition, this study is of obvious public health concern since the pathogenic bacteria could readily be transmitted between the gym users via contaminated surface touch.