Collaborative Research: An integrative framework for decision support models including plumbing system dynamics and value of information to meet Legionella control goals

协作研究：决策支持模型的综合框架，包括管道系统动力学和信息价值，以满足军团菌控制目标

• 批准号: 2147106
• 负责人: Kerry Hamilton
• 金额: $ 15.73万
• 依托单位: Arizona State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-08-01 至 2025-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2147106&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; integrative; framework; decision

Legionella is a waterborne pathogen, that if inhaled, can cause severe illness in humans including Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever. Despite growing knowledge about Legionella aerosolization and inhalation in residential, commercial, and institutional buildings and in healthcare facilities, disease outbreaks are increasing. Since the first Legionella outbreak in 1976, numerous bench, pilot, and field-scale studies have been conducted to develop strategies and guidelines for the mitigation and prevention of disease outbreaks. However, the development of a quantitative framework to predict Legionella disease outbreak in buildings has remained elusive. The overarching goal of this multi-institution collaborative project is to advance the fundamental understanding of Legionella growth in building water systems and leverage this new knowledge to develop and validate a computational model to predict potential hotspots of Legionella growth and exposure in buildings. The successful completion of this project will benefit society through the development of new fundamental knowledge and modeling tools to identify the design/operational parameters and environmental conditions of a building’s premise plumbing system that most affect the growth and persistence of Legionella. Further benefits to society will be achieved through student education and training including the mentoring of two graduate students and an undergraduate student at Arizona State University, the New York State Department of Health, and the College of New Jersey. Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is an infectious pathogen of increasing concern due to its ability to cause Legionnaires’ Disease (LD), a severe pneumonia, and the difficulty in controlling the bacteria’s persistence in drinking water systems. L. pneumophila thrives within large premise plumbing systems such as those found in hospitals. Commonly used disinfectants are not effective in eradicating L. pneumophila from premise plumbing systems. In addition, there is no validated model to predict the concentration of viable Legionella cells in a building water system. The overarching goal of this project is to develop and validate a computational model that could predict the growth and persistence of L. pneumophila within a building’s premise plumbing as a function of system design, operational parameters, and environmental conditions. The specific objectives of the research are to: (1) Use state-of-the-art, rapid sampling techniques to quantify Legionella concentrations, water quality parameters, operational parameters, and building design specifications in data-rich buildings with known Legionella problems and/or disease cases where the New York State Department of Health has ongoing partnerships; (2) Derive Legionella kinetic information over a multivariate parameter space using targeted and multifactorial experiments with a combination of parameters including biofilm conditions, disinfectant residual concentrations, temperatures, and nutrient loadings; and (3) Develop and validate a computational model (with site-specific information and updated kinetic information) to predict Legionella persistence and growth in premise plumbing systems that will inform quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) models of LD outbreaks in buildings. The successful completion of this project has the potential for transformative impact through the development of new fundamental knowledge and modeling tools to support more accurate estimates of human health risks associated with LD outbreaks in buildings. To disseminate the findings of this project, the Principal Investigators (PIs) plan to conduct outreach events (including targeted workshops and conferences) to present the results of their research findings and solicit feedback from a broad audience of stakeholders including the Association of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) premise plumbing working group.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

军团菌是一种水媒病原体，如果被吸入，可导致严重的疾病，包括退伍军人病和庞蒂亚克热。尽管对军团菌在住宅、商业和机构建筑物以及医疗设施中的雾化和吸入的了解越来越多，但疾病爆发仍在增加。自1976年第一次军团菌爆发以来，已经进行了许多实验室、试点和现场规模的研究，以制定缓解和预防疾病爆发的策略和指南。然而，发展一个定量的框架来预测军团菌病在建筑物中的爆发仍然是难以捉摸的。这个多机构合作项目的总体目标是推进对建筑供水系统中军团菌生长的基本了解，并利用这些新知识开发和验证计算模型，以预测建筑物中军团菌生长和暴露的潜在热点。该项目的成功完成将通过开发新的基础知识和建模工具来识别建筑物前提管道系统的设计/操作参数和环境条件，从而使社会受益，这些参数和环境条件对军团菌的生长和持久性影响最大。通过学生教育和培训，包括指导亚利桑那州立大学、纽约州卫生部和新泽西学院的两名研究生和一名本科生，将进一步造福社会。嗜肺军团菌（L.嗜肺军团菌（Legionnaires pneumophila）是一种感染性病原体，由于其能够引起军团病（LD）（一种严重的肺炎），并且难以控制细菌在饮用水系统中的持续存在，因此越来越受到关注。L.嗜肺菌在大的房屋管道系统如在医院中发现的管道系统中大量繁殖。常用消毒剂对L.来自房屋管道系统的嗜肺菌。此外，没有经过验证的模型来预测建筑物水系统中活军团菌细胞的浓度。本计画的主要目标是发展和验证一个计算模型，以预测L。根据系统设计、操作参数和环境条件，建筑物前提管道内的嗜肺菌数量。研究的具体目标是：（1）在纽约州卫生部与之建立持续伙伴关系的已知存在军团菌问题和/或疾病病例的数据丰富的建筑物中，使用最先进的快速采样技术来量化军团菌浓度、水质参数、操作参数和建筑设计规范;（2）使用具有包括生物膜条件、消毒剂残留浓度、温度和营养物负荷的参数的组合的目标和多因子实验，在多变量参数空间上导出军团菌动力学信息;及（3）发展及验证一个计算模式（包括特定地点的资料及最新的动力学资料），以预测退伍军人症杆菌在楼宇水管系统的持续存在及增长情况，从而为量化微生物风险评估模式提供资料，以评估退伍军人症在楼宇爆发的情况。该项目的成功完成有可能通过开发新的基础知识和建模工具来产生变革性影响，以支持更准确地估计与建筑物中LD爆发相关的人类健康风险。为了传播该项目的调查结果，主要调查员计划开展外联活动，（包括有针对性的研讨会和会议），介绍他们的研究成果，并征求广大利益相关者的反馈意见，包括美国供暖，制冷和空调工程师协会（ASHRAE），美国水务协会（AWWA），该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。