Comparing the temporal colonization and microbial diversity of showerhead biofilms in Hawai'i and Colorado
| Autor: | Yvonne L. Chan, Jennifer R. Honda, Robert Cassady, Jonathan Abe, Aleena Alop-Mabuti, Peyton Burger, Mara Strother, Jackson Button, Sarah Maile K. Vasconcellos, Jared Darling-Munson, Michael D. Iseman, Kasey Nunies, Jaycinth Hitzeman, David Morgenstern, Edward D. Chan, Madeline Ellsberry |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Biomedical Research Colorado Time Factors Microbial diversity Science education 030106 microbiology Biodiversity Microbiology Hawaii 03 medical and health sciences Genetics Humans Colonization Household Articles Students Molecular Biology Microbial Biofilms Bacteria Ecology Biofilm Water Baths Humidity Hydrogen-Ion Concentration Arid 030104 developmental biology Biofilms Environmental science Water chemistry Water quality |
| Zdroj: | FEMS microbiology letters. 363(4) |
| ISSN: | 1574-6968 |
| Popis: | The household is a potential source of opportunistic pathogens to humans, a particularly critical issue for immunodeficient individuals. An important human-microbe interface is the biofilm that develops on showerhead surfaces. Once microbe-laden biofilms become aerosolized, they can potentially be inhaled into the lungs. Understanding how quickly a new showerhead becomes colonized would provide useful information to minimize exposure to potentially pathogenic environmental microbes. High school scientists sampled the inner surfaces of pre-existing and newly fitted showerheads monthly over a nine-month period and applied standard microbiologic culture techniques to qualitatively assess microbial growth. Water chemistry was also monitored using commercial test strips. Sampling was performed in households on Oahu, Hawai'i and Denver, Colorado, representing warm/humid and cold/arid environments, respectively. Pre-existing showerheads in Hawai'i showed more diverse microbial growth and significantly greater microbial numbers than a comparable showerhead from Colorado. New, chrome-plated or plastic showerheads in Hawai'i showed diverse and abundant growth one month after installment compared to new showerheads from Colorado. The pH, total chlorine and water hardness levels varied significantly between the Hawai'i and Colorado samples. Enthusiastic student and teacher participation allowed us to answer long-standing questions regarding the temporal colonization of microbial biofilms on pre-existing and new showerhead surfaces. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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