Center for Biofilm Engineering

News Update: 

September, 2003

Volume 6, Issue 9

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Research Highlights

Paper Spotlight by Anne Camper

Laboratory studies were done to determine if biological treatment of water containing soil-derived humic substances has the potential for reducing the fouling of membranes used in water treatment. Columns containing biologically active carbon or iron oxide sand were fed humic-laden water with or without prechlorination. This stream was split, with half being further treated by microfiltration. Treated water was assessed for total organic carbon removal and biofouling potential using a glass bead assay and membrane assay for total cell counts, fouling layer thickness, and flux reduction. Compared to untreated control water, biological treatment was capable of reducing downstream fouling of membrane systems. Biological treatment coupled with microfiltration provided the best reduction of fouling, while prechlorination did not appear to impact the process. These results suggest that biological treatment may be valuable in reducing membrane fouling while reducing the amount of disinfectants used in pretreatment.

Wend, C.F., P.S. Stewart, W. Jones, and A.K. Camper, "Pretreatment for Membrane Water Treatment Systems: A Laboratory Study," Water Research, 37(14):3367-3378 (2003).

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Exploring Public Water Supply Safety

Al Cunningham and Anne Camper have teamed together with Richard E. Ewing, vice president for research and director of the Institute for Scientific Computation (ISC) at Texas A&M University, on a project with national security implications. With their combined skills, Cunningham, Camper and Ewing plan to devise effective means to make the public water supply safe from national and international terrorism. The collaborative research of the CBE and ISC will be aligned with the goals of and working in conjunction with the Integrative Center for Homeland Security.

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BIOGLYPHS a Semifinalist

MSU’s BIOGLYPHS art and science collaboration was recently included as one of ten semifinalists in the Multimedia category of the inaugural “Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge,” an international competition sponsored by the journal Science and the National Science Foundation. See the finalist listing at http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/events/sevc/results.htm
The MSU entry, “Bioglyphs: Art/Science Collaborations with Living Bioluminescent Bacteria,” included a slide show, photographs and the BIOGLYPHS web site (www.erc.montana.edu/BIOGLYPHS/ ).

Bioglyphs project directors include Betsey Pitts and Peg Dirckx from MSU’s Center for Biofilm Engineering; and Sara Mast, from the MSU School of Art.

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Biofilm Manual

A few years ago, it became clear that the CBE laboratory and field methodologies could be important technologies in their own right. In response to that insight, the CBE created a research area called Standardized Biofilm Methods which, among other goals, sought to identify generally applicable methods used to grow, treat, sample, and analyze biofilms. The product of that effort was a manual of methods, published in-house for private circulation. The protocol manual became an important component of technology transfer from the CBE to industry. Comments from users of the manual indicated that the privately-distributed editions of the manual were highly prized. Now the CBE and its Industrial Associates have chosen to publish the current collection of protocols so that they will be generally available. The decision to produce The Biofilm Laboratory: Step-by-step protocols for experimental design, analysis, and data interpretation, is consistent with the CBE vision of being renowned for the synthesis and dissemination of information and education about biofilm systems.

For purchasing information, and to read the manual’s Table of Contents, Preface and Introduction see: http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/Biofilm%20Manual/

 

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Education

Summer REU Program Wrap Up

This summer’s REU students were remarkably productive and their presentations were some of the most professional and interesting we have ever seen in the program. Two students worked on projects with direct industrial involvement, and a third student will present a poster of her results at Biofilms 2003 in Victoria Canada. Abstracts of the final projects are linked on the REU 2003 program web page: http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/education/REU/students_REU2003.htm

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Recent Popular Media Coverage of Biofilms

These web articles do not all specifically reference the CBE, but they are articles that are good references for the public and industry to read for an understanding of a variety of biofilm-related topics.

Hot and Cold Running Disease
CBS News
September 15, 2003
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/15/health/main573304.shtml

Big Bang Biotech?
Many say a “bio” revolution is under way, but complex logistics and other factors make it hard to predict the who-where-when of its economic impact in the district
By Ronald A. Wirtz
Fedgazette September 2003
http://www.minneapolisfed.org/pubs/fedgaz/03-09/cover.cfm

Bacteria Can Gang Up On You
CBS News
July 4, 2003
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/04/health/main561733.shtml

Bacterial Biofilms may be Source of Recurrent Tonsillitis
By Darrell Ward
Washington University in St. Louis, News & Information September 2, 2003
http://news-info.wustl.edu/tips/page/normal/347.html
 

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Upcoming CBE Workshops

Biofilm Methods Workshop
 

October 20-21, 2003
The workshop will cover:
- analysis and repeatability of biofilm measurements
- aseptic technique
- biofilm reactor design considerations
- four stages of biofilm study (growth, sampling, treatment, analysis)
- reactor protocols (set up, inoculation, treatment)
- anaerobic reactor design and operation
- microscopy for biofilm enumeration
- using fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) probes to study biofilms, and
- biosafety instruction

The cost of the two-day workshop is $1000. If you are interested in more information about the workshop, please contact Paul Sturman (paul_stu@erc.montana.edu).
 

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CBE People in Action

Phil Stewart as an invited speaker presented “Do Biocides Penetrate Biofilms?” SIM meeting, Minneapolis, MN, August 11-14, 2003.

Phil Stewart presented “Mechanisms Protecting Microbial Biofilms from Antimicrobial Agents,” Cumbre Inc., Dallas, TX, August 13, 2003.

Joe Seymour gave an invited oral presentation "NMR Microscopy of the Structure and Dynamics of Microbial Biofilms in Bioreactors and Porous Media," EUCHEM Conference on Structure and Mobility in Heterogeneous Systems, Fiskebäckskil (Göteborg), Sweden, August 27-29, 2003.

Phil Stewart presented “Multicellular Nature of Biofilm Protection from Antimicrobial Agents,” Biofilm Club Meeting, Gregynog Hall, Wales, September 4, 2003.

Anne Camper presented “Emerging Issues: Biofilms in Distribution Systems,” Virginia Polytech, Richmond, VA, September 5, 2003.

Anne Camper presented “Emerging Issues: Biofilms in Distribution Systems,” AWWA branch, Richmond, VA, September 8, 2003.

Paul Stoodley presented "Viscoelasticity and Dispersal Strategies of Mucoid and Non-mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms," Pseudomonas 2003 Québec City, Québec, Canada, September 6-10, 2003.

Bill Costerton presented "Biofilms in Device-Related and Other Chronic Infections," Chalmers J. Lyons Memorial Lectureship at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), Orlando, FL, September 11, 2003. This lectureship is the most prestigious educational event at the Annual Meeting of the AAOMS.

Bill Costerton as an invited speaker presented "Biofilms in the Oral Environment," Hospital Association of Neighborhood Dentists, Whippany, NJ, September 17, 2003.
 

  
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New AAM Report on Microbial Communities

“Microbial Communities: From Life Apart to Life Together,” an important new report from the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) Critical Issues Colloquia series, is now available on-line at http://www.asm.org/index.asp?bid=20727 in a PDF format.

Microbial communities have significant effects upon virtually all aspects of human and environmental health, from films inside household water pipes, to the vast communities in the oceans that process global cycling of nutrients, to the increasingly important problem of antibiotic resistance. “Microbial Communities: From Life Apart to Life Together” presents issues surrounding microbial communities and their role in human health, industrial processes, and ecology along with recommendations for future research, education, and collaboration.

The report presents the conclusions of 23 prominent scientists from around the country who discussed the importance of microbial community functions to human and environmental concerns; the status of current research in the field; the technologies available for investigating communities; and needs for education and collaboration. Shedding light on some of the phenomena surrounding microbial communities, the report provides clues about their stability, development, and the mechanisms that govern the locations of individual members.

See the BiofilmsOnline.com September issue at http://www.BiofilmsOnline.com.

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Biofilms Journal

Announcement and Call for Papers
See http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/Biofilms%20Journal/default.htm

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Recent Web Updates

Check the Recent Web Updates link located on the CBE home page, to view the latest information posted on the CBE web.

See <http://www.erc.montana.edu/Recent%20Web%20Updates/default.htm> 

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