RAPID: Waterborne Elizabethkingia disinfection studies in response to ongoing U.S. outbreak

1700604 maya美国正在爆发由伊丽莎白菌引起的疫情。伊丽莎白金氏菌是一种普遍存在于土壤和水中的细菌，通常不会对人类健康构成威胁。然而，目前的疫情包括63例确诊病例，自2015年11月以来已导致18例确诊死亡。这种机会性人类病原体尤其令人担忧，因为它往往表现出高度的抗生素耐药性和死亡率。鉴于这种病原体的出现和持续的疫情，必须更好地了解如何有效控制饮用水中的这些细菌。这项RAPID研究项目将首次直接评估使用氯化、氯胺化、臭氧化和紫外线照射对水生伊丽莎白菌的灭活作用。拟议工作的具体目标包括：描述：1)浮游细胞，2)附着细胞的消毒反应，以及3)深入了解消毒效果与伊丽莎白菌组成之间的关系。实验室实验将用于建立浓度（或紫外线强度）与时间的关系（称为CT关系）。这些消毒剂反应数据目前尚不清楚，迫切需要制定有效的消毒策略，以遏制当前的疫情并避免未来的公共卫生灾难。此外，本项目将探索细菌组成（核酸和氨基酸）与不同消毒方式敏感性之间的关系。拟议的研究将大大有助于推动更广泛的社会成果，包括提高对饮用水消毒战略的理解，以更好地保护人类健康，这对减少伊丽莎白金氏菌引起的持续爆发和预防未来爆发具有直接意义。该项目的研究结果也将被整合到pi的常规教学轮转课程模块/讨论中，这是高中生的暑期体验，也是马奎特大学每年为学者和专业人士提供的新兴污染物短期课程。

1700604MayerThere is an ongoing outbreak in the U.S caused by Elizabethkingia bacteria. Elizabethkingia is a ubiquitous group of bacteria whose presence in soil and water ordinarily pose little risk to human health. However, the current outbreak includes 63 confirmed cases, and has been associated with 18 confirmed fatalities since November 2015. This opportunistic human pathogen is particularly alarming because it tends to exhibit a high degree of antibiotic resistance and mortality. Given the emergence of this pathogen and the ongoing outbreak, it is important to develop a better understanding of how to effectively control these bacteria in drinking water. This RAPID research project will provide the first direct assessment of inactivation of waterborne Elizabethkingia bacteria using chlorination, chloramination, ozonation, and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Specific objectives of the proposed work include the following. Characterize the disinfection response of: 1) planktonic cells, 2) attached cells, and 3) develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between disinfection efficacy and Elizabethkingia composition. Laboratory experiments will be used to establish concentration (or UV intensity) x time relationships (referred to as CT relationships). This disinfectant response data is currently unknown, and is urgently needed to develop effective disinfection strategies to curtail the current outbreak and avoid future public health disasters. Additionally, this project will probe the relationship between the bacteria's composition (nucleic and amino acids) and susceptibility to different modes of disinfection. The proposed research will substantially contribute to advancing broader societal outcomes including improved understanding of drinking water disinfection strategies to better protect human health, which has immediate implications for curtailing the ongoing outbreak caused by Elizabethkingia bacteria and for preventing future outbreaks. Findings from this project will also be integrated into course modules/discussions in the PIs regular teaching rotation, a summer experience for high school students, and at the Emerging Contaminants Short Course offered annually at Marquette University for academics and professionals.