Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Abe, Jonathan
• Alop-Mabuti, Aleena
• Burger, Peyton
• Button, Jackson
• Ellsberry, Madeline
• Hitzeman, Jaycinth
• Morgenstern, David
• Nunies, Kasey
• Strother, Mara
• Darling-Munson, Jared
• Chan, Yvonne L.
• Cassady, Robert
• Vasconcellos, Sarah Maile K.
• Iseman, Michael D.
• Chan, Edward D.
• Honda, Jennifer R.
• Yeoman, Kay

Titel

Comparing the temporal colonization and microbial diversity of showerhead biofilms in Hawai'i and Colorado

Ist Teil von

• FEMS microbiology letters, 2016-02, Vol.363 (4), p.fnw005

Ort / Verlag

England: Oxford University Press

Erscheinungsjahr

2016

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• 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. Comparing microbial showerhead diversity in Hawai'i and Colorado using high school scientists to promote microbiology education.