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Genome-resolved house microbiome exhibits location-specific metabolic partitioning, and harbors hosts with clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes

Preprint Created on 26 May 2026 bioRxiv

Residential indoor surfaces are recognized as diverse microbial ecosystems, while their genome-based organization and functional repertoires remain understudied. We recovered 2304 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from shotgun metagenomic sequencing of 10 houses in New Delhi, India. Genome-resolved analysis revealed a highly structured microbial community and substantial unexplored diversity, with 60% Species-level Genome Bins (SGBs) (629/1014) unclassified at the species level. Metabolism reveals a conserved metabolic core, along with spatial functional enrichment: the living area was significantly different from the bathroom and kitchen areas. The prevalent MAG species of the house microbiome, Paracoccus marcusii, Ottowia sp. 018060485, and Kocuria palustris, showed strain-level diversity with no stratification by house, but a subtle location-wise grouping. Potential pathogens, along with a wide range of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), were identified across the MAGs, with 64 ARGs associated with mobile elements. Phylogenomic analysis of Escherichia coli MAGs indicated a split between commensal-like fecal lineages and pathotype-associated clusters, like Intestinal Pathogenic E. coli (InPEC). These results suggest that residential house microbiomes harbor microbial communities with both diverse metabolic capacity and clinical relevance. Together, these findings establish a reference for future indoor microbiome research and provide a foundation for antimicrobial resistance surveillance and the development of bio-informed building-infrastructures.

Awasthi, S., Sharma, R.

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