Inactivation of Legionella pneumophila harbored by amoebae using a nano-enabled alternative technology: Application and outreach to the Colonias in Texas

军团病是一种致命的肺炎，由细菌病原体嗜肺军团菌引起。自1976年以来，这种通过水传播的疾病在美国爆发了几次，新病例一直在以高速度增长。当吸入受污染的水滴(例如，在淋浴时)或吸入时，就会发生接触。嗜肺性乳杆菌可由自由生活的单细胞生物(阿米巴)滋生，可保护嗜肺性乳杆菌免受传统消毒，如“特洛伊木马”，从而增加军团病传播的风险。该项目旨在开发一种低成本的消毒技术，可以利用低能量的微波辐射来灭活饮用水中的嗜肺乳杆菌。这项工作包括与德克萨斯州殖民地或自建社区的一个重大外联计划，这些社区是40万低收入者的家园，其中许多人无法获得高质量的饮用水。这项技术的成功开发有可能确保殖民地和国家的安全饮用水。所提出的基于辐射的技术的目标是产生界面热和活性氧物种(ROS)来灭活由阿米巴藏匿的嗜肺乳杆菌。阿米巴将通过界面加热裂解，释放的嗜肺乳杆菌将被加热和ROS灭活。拟议的研究将部署基础纳米科学来开发使用点(POU)和社区规模的水处理技术。拟议研究计划的具体技术目标是：(I)合成、表征和测试利用微波的纳米材料，(Ii)了解这种基于微波的纳米技术的微生物灭活机理，以及(Iii)设计两种含有固定化纳米材料的装置，以有效灭活由阿米巴藏匿的嗜肺乳杆菌。这项研究将利用新型兆瓦光谱转换的科学优势，为德克萨斯州及其他地区的低收入居民提供安全的饮用水。将在位于三个学区(两个在埃尔帕索县，一个在伊达尔戈县，这两个学区都有大量殖民地)的小学和殖民地开展外联活动。将在学校开展与研究相关的实践教育活动，并在殖民地进行水样和家庭调查，以收集有关水质、用水、与水有关的健康问题和社会经济状况的信息。外展是独一无二的，因为它产生的信息将被用于设备设计，从而使社会嵌入技术的开发成为可能。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Legionnaires' disease is a deadly form of pneumonia caused by the bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila. Several outbreaks of this waterborne disease have occurred in the U.S. since 1976, and new cases have been growing at a high rate. Exposure occurs when contaminated water droplets are inhaled (e.g., during showering) or aspirated. L. pneumophila can be harbored by free-living single-celled organisms (amoebae), which can shield L. pneumophila from traditional disinfection like a 'Trojan horse', thereby increasing risk for the spread of Legionnaires' disease. This project aims to develop a low-cost disinfection technology that can harness low-energy microwave radiation to inactivate L. pneumophila in drinking water. The work includes a major outreach program with the Texas colonias, or self-built communities, which are home to 400,000 low-income people, many of whom lack access to high quality drinking water. Successful development of this technology has the potential to ensure safe drinking water for the colonias and the Nation. The goal of the proposed irradiation-based technology is to generate interfacial heat and reactive oxygen species (ROS) to inactivate L. pneumophila harbored by amoebae. Amoebae will be lysed via interfacial heating, and the released L. pneumophila will be inactivated by heat and ROS. The proposed research will deploy fundamental nanoscience to develop a point-of-use (POU) and community-scale water treatment technology. The specific technical objectives of the proposed research plan are to (i) synthesize, characterize, and test MW-harnessing nanomaterials, (ii) understand the mechanisms of microbial inactivation by this MW-based nanotechnology, and (iii) engineer two devices containing immobilized nanomaterials to effectively inactivate L. pneumophila harbored by amoebae. The research will capitalize on the scientific advantages of novel MW spectral conversion to provide safe drinking water to low-income residents of the Texas colonias and beyond. Outreach activities will occur in elementary schools and colonias located in three school districts (two in El Paso County and one in Hidalgo County, both of which have high concentrations of colonias). Hands-on educational activities related to the research will be conducted in the schools, and water sampling and household surveys will be conducted in the colonias to gather information on water quality, water use, water-related health issues, and socioeconomic conditions. The outreach is unique because the information it yields will be utilized in the device design, thereby enabling the development of a socially-embedded technology.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.