Functional Analysis of Biofilms in Premise Plumbing

室内管道中的HeBiofm可能会损害水质完整性并成为有害微生物的储存库，从而对公众健康构成直接和间接的风险。然而，由于对生物膜发生的微生物过程缺乏足够的了解，特别是在占总分配系统85%以上但没有得到足够研究重视的场所管道中，仍然需要制定实用和有效的战略来最大限度地减少生物膜的发生和减少公共卫生风险。拟议项目的研究目标是确定在房屋卫浴中负责生物膜微生物群落生存和适应的过程。这项研究将通过使用生物膜功能过程的社区级特征来进行。本研究将采用基于高通量DNA微阵列的功能分析和基于16S rRNA基因的分子微生物生态学工具相结合的社区水平方法来表征具有鲜明特征的住宅卫浴系统中的生物膜微生物群落。这项研究将为控制生物膜持久性的基本过程提供亟需的见解，这将使我们能够制定有效的战略，通过瞄准促进生物膜发生的关键过程，最大限度地减少房舍管道中的生物膜。这项工作的结果还将通过提供关于管道材料、用水模式、环境因素和水质特征对房屋管道中微生物污染的影响的迫切需要的数据，来改进房屋管道的风险评估、设计指南和法规。更好地了解控制供水系统中生物膜发展的微生物过程，特别是住宅管道，将导致更有效的战略，将饮用水的微生物污染降至最低，并提高饮用水的安全性。这将进一步减少水传播疾病的发生，增加公共供水的使用，并减少额外净化设备和瓶装水的使用。我们的社会将通过降低医疗保健成本和更可持续地使用能源和资源而受益。此外，该研究还为基因组学和微生物学在环境工程中的应用提供了一个很好的范例。因此，将拟议工作的研究成果融入课堂教学将更好地为学生在日益跨学科的环境工程领域学习和工作做好准备。更重要的是，来自当地城市高中的少数族裔学生参与拟议的项目将确保代表不足的学生获得对他们在工程专业的学习和工作成功至关重要的教育机会。

0854332HeBiofilm in premise plumbing could pose both direct and indirect public health risks by impairing water quality integrity and serving as a reservoir of harmful microorganisms. Practical and effective strategies to minimize biofilm occurrence and reduce public health risks, however, remain to be developed, due to the lack of adequate understanding of the microbial processes underlying biofilm occurrence, particularly in premise plumbing which represents over 85% of the total distribution system but has not received adequate research attention. The research objective of the proposed project is to identify the processes responsible for the survival and adaptation of biofilm microbial communities in premise plumbing. The research will be conducted by using community-level characterization of biofilm functional processes. This research will use a community-level approach combining high-throughput DNA microarray-based functional analysis and 16S rRNA gene-based molecular microbial ecology tools for the characterization of biofilm microbial communities in premise plumbing systems of distinct characteristics. This research will provide much needed insight into fundamental processes controlling biofilm persistence which would enable the development of effective strategies for the minimization of biofilms in premise plumbing by targeting key processes that facilitate biofilm occurrence. Results from this work will also enable improved risk assessment, design guidelines and regulations for premise plumbing by providing much needed data regarding the impact of plumbing material, water use pattern, environmental factors, and water quality characteristics on microbial contamination in premise plumbing. Improved understanding of the microbial processes controlling the development of biofilm in water distribution systems, particularly premise plumbing, will lead to more effective strategies to minimize microbial contamination of drinking water and enhanced safety of drinking water. This will lead further to minimized occurrence of waterborne diseases, increased use of public water supply, and reduced use of additional purification devices and bottled water. Our society will benefit through reduced heath care costs and more sustainable uses of energy and resources. In addition, the proposed research provides an excellent example of the application of genomics and microbiology in environmental engineering. Thus the infusion of research results from the proposed work into classroom teaching will better prepare students for learning and working in the increasingly interdisciplinary filed of environmental engineering. More importantly, the participation of minority students from a local urban high school in the proposed project will ensure that underrepresented students have the educational exposure crucial to their success in learning and working in the engineering profession.