Urbanization represents a profound shift in human behaviour, and has considerable cultural
and health-associated consequences,. Here, we investigate chemical and microbial
characteristics of houses and their human occupants across an urbanization gradient in the
Amazon rainforest, from a remote Peruvian Amerindian village to the Brazilian city of
Manaus. Urbanization was found to be associated with reduced microbial outdoor exposure,
increased contact with housing materials, antimicrobials and cleaning products, and …