Fighting Biology with Biology: Engineering the Disaster Microbiome

Public perceptions and support for microbiome engineering to combat mold growth in disaster relief efforts

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This episode of the GES Publications podcast provides an AI-generated overview of the article below, highlighting key findings and insights into the societal dimensions of biotechnology. Episodes are created using Google Gemini’s NotebookLM to summarize faculty and student publications from NC State University’s Genetic Engineering and Society Center.

Citation

Cummings, C.L., Landreville, K.D. & Kuzma, J. (2026) Public perceptions and support for microbiome engineering to combat mold growth in disaster relief efforts. Environ Syst Decis 46, 3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-025-10062-x. PDF. Graphic

Authors

Christopher Cummings, Kristen Landreville, and Jennifer Kuzma

Abstract

Mold contamination poses persistent challenges in disaster relief shelters, where moisture, limited ventilation, and dense occupancy create conditions favorable for rapid fungal growth. Traditional prevention measures, such as chemical treatments and mechanical drying, often face logistical and resource limitations. Microbiome engineering has been proposed as a novel intervention, yet little is known about public perceptions of such an approach. This study presents the first empirical analysis of attitudes toward introduced microbiomes (IM) in the context of emergency housing. Using a nationally representative survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, we examined demographic, informational, emotional, and risk-related predictors of support across three dimensions: willingness to adopt IM in shelters, support for rigorous evaluation and testing, and support for survivor education. Hierarchical regression models explained 55.7% of variance in adoption, 27.4% in testing, and 21.4% in education support. Findings reveal that adoption support was driven by efficacy beliefs, trust, and affective responses; testing support was shaped by demographic factors and secondary risk concerns; and education support reflected demographic variation and threat appraisals. Across all models, interest in learning more about microbiome engineering consistently predicted higher support, while prior information-seeking often predicted greater caution. These results underscore the importance of integrating public perspectives alongside technical assessments when evaluating microbiome engineering for disaster relief.

Significance

This article, part of the NSF-funded PreMiEr project, examines U.S. public perceptions of introduced microbiomes as a potential intervention to mitigate mold in disaster relief shelters. Drawing on a nationally representative survey of 1,000 adults, it shows that support varies across adoption, rigorous testing, and survivor education, and is shaped by factors such as efficacy beliefs, trust, emotions, demographics, and risk concerns. Its findings highlight how applying principles of responsible research and innovation (RRI)—including transparent evaluation, safeguards, and responsive engagement—can help align microbiome-based shelter interventions with diverse public values in high-stakes disaster contexts.

Keywords

Disaster relief shelters, Mold prevention, Introduced microbiomes, Microbiome engineering, Public perceptions, Risk perception, Responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Genetic Engineering and Society Center

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