Abstract
BackgroundWorking in an underground tunnel environment is unavoidable in professions such as miners and tunnel workers, and there is a concern about the health of these workers. Few studies have addressed alterations in the intestinal microbiome of workers within that environment.ResultsFecal samples were collected from the workers before they entered the tunnel (baseline status, BS) and after they left the tunnel (exposed status, ES), respectively (a time period of 3 weeks between them). We analyzed 16S rRNA sequencing to show the changes in microbial composition and self-evaluation of mental health questionnaire was also performed. The results showed that Shannon and Simpson indices decreased significantly from BS to ES. A higher abundance was found in the phylum Actinobacteria, classes Actinobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria, orders Bifidobacteriales, Coriobacteriales, and Desulfovibrionales, families Bifidobacteriaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, Clostridiaceae_1, Desulfovibrionaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Microbacteriaceae, and genera Bifidobacterium, Romboutsia, Clostridium sensu stricto, and Leucobacter in ES, while BS showed greater levels of genera Faecalibacterium and Roseburia. The self-evaluation showed that at least one-half of the tunnel workers experienced one or more symptoms of mental distress (inattention, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, headache or dizziness, irritability) after working in the underground tunnel environment.ConclusionsCollectively, the underground tunnel environment led to alterations in the intestinal microbiome, which might be relevant to symptoms of mental distress in underground-tunnel workers.
Highlights
Working in an underground tunnel environment is unavoidable in professions such as miners and tunnel workers, and there is a concern about the health of these workers
[14] has demonstrated that alteration of the composition of the intestinal microbiome in depression patients is associated with dysbiosis in the function of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, intestinal low-grade inflammation, and an imbalanced neurotransmitter metabolism through the brain–gut
Our study showed significant differences in the amount of Actinobacteria, order Coriobacteriales, and family Coriobacteriaceae between the two groups, which were consistent with Painold [20] in the study of patients with bipolar disorder (BD)
Summary
Working in an underground tunnel environment is unavoidable in professions such as miners and tunnel workers, and there is a concern about the health of these workers. Few studies have addressed alterations in the intestinal microbiome of workers within that environment. In the underground working environment, several agents, such as noise, vibration, temperature, humidity, dust, chemical fumes, and radon could influence the health and safety of workers [1, 2]. Chinese underground coal miners revealed that the prevalence of symptoms of depression was 62.8% and was significantly associated with an imbalance between high effort and reward, the perceived physical environment, work–family conflict, and overcommitment [7]. Mounting evidence in recent years has suggested a close relationship between the intestinal microbiome in humans and their health. Dysbiosis in intestinal flora has been suggested to play a vital role in the pathogenesis of adverse systemic conditions, such as metabolic [8], inflammatory [9], immune [10], and neuropsychiatric disorders [11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
