Center for Biofilm Engineering

News Update: 

February, 2005

Volume 8, Issue 2

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Research Highlights

Paper Spotlight

Project investigates the biofilm detachment process

Recent research has revealed that nutrient starvation may trigger the detachment process in biofilms. By regulating the dispersal of microorganisms from within the biofilm, this process governs biofilm structure and accumulation. A better understanding of the factors that control biofilm detachment could be used to disperse biofilms and clean surfaces of biofouling. This experiment combined the use of a computer model of biofilm dynamics to predict the effects of nutrient starvation and experimental observation to distinguish between two hypotheses for the triggering of the detachment process. The results indicated that detachment occurred as a result of nutrient starvation rather than the accumulation of a metabolic product, supporting the theory that nutrient starvation is responsible for triggering the detachment process.

"Hypothesis for the Role of Nutrient Starvation in Biofilm Detachment"
S.M. Hunt, E.M. Werner, B. Huang, M.A. Hamilton and P.S. Stewart
Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2004; 70(12):7418–7425

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Highlights of the Technical Advisory Conference

Phil Stewart, Interim Director, captures the essence of this conference in his “Director’s Message”.

See http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/director's%20message/Archives/2005/default.htm

Pictures from the conference can be found at: http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/HTML/2005/TACW_2005.htm

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New Industrial Associate Members

The CBE welcomes Ecolab, NASA and Novozymes as the newest Industrial Associate members.

Ecolab: (http://www.ecolab.com) Ecolab makes a wide variety of commercial cleaning products sold to agribusiness, building maintenance, food processing, healthcare, manufacturing, and vehicle care industries. Scott Burnett is the designated representative.

NASA: (http://www.nasa.gov) Their biofilm interests include preventing fouling and corrosion in the cooling system of the international space station, as well as general station sanitation and portable water systems. Monsi Roman is the designated representative.

Novozymes: (http://www.novozymes.com/cgi-bin/bvisapi.dll/portal.jsp) Novozymes is a world leader in enzymes production, with over 600 products used in everything from textile manufacturing to food production. The designated representative is Randy Deinhammer.

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New Collaborations for Chronic Wound Research

A fascinating and potentially healing collaboration has transpired through the interests and work of Sequoia Sciences, Inc., the Southwest Regional Wound Care Center and the CBE's Biofilm Behavior Laboratory. Working with the Missouri Botanical Gardens, Sequoia Sciences researches and identifies novel anti-biofilm compounds from tropical plants. Through collaborations with the CBE, Sequoia has been identifying compounds that have anti-biofilm properties and could be developed into new pharmaceuticals. Recently Dr. Randy Wolcott, founder of Southwest Regional Wound Care Center, has been working with the CBE on studies to evaluate the role of biofilms in chronic wound infections. The Wound Care Center specializes in chronic wounds such as diabetic foot syndrome, decubitis ulcers, and implant infections that are difficult to heal. The new collaboration will explore the use of anti-biofilm compounds developed by Sequoia for use as topical treatments to help heal chronic wounds. CBE researcher Dr. Garth James and Ellen Swogger, undergraduate in Chemical Engineering, will provide molecular characterization of the bacterial populations involved in wound infections and develop in vitro model systems of the wounds. Animal model studies and clinical trials will be carried out at the South West Wound Care Center in Lubbock, TX.

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Award

Anne Camper received the "American Consulting Engineers Council of Massachusetts Grand Conceptor Award." The award is given to a member of a project team (Evaluation of Ozone and Ultraviolet Light, funded by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority) that demonstrated the highest degree of engineering excellence and ingenuity. The project team consisted of consultants, university faculty, and drinking water treatment and distribution system personnel who collaborated on a project designed to test the feasibility of drinking water disinfection technologies. Congratulations, Anne!

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Television Production

Sara Shier, a former MSU Film and TV Masters student, has produced a film titled “The Battle Against Biofilms” that is due to air on Montana PBS this year. The film, funded by an NSF grant, gives viewers a glimpse of the progress made by CBE researchers in understanding biofilm infections, particularly as they relate to cystic fibrosis. Watch for details about when the show will air.

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Recent CBE Publications

"Rapid Diffusion of Fluorescent Tracers into Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilms Visualized by Time Lapse Microscopy"
Abdul Rani, S., B. Pitts, and P.S. Stewart
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 49(2):728-732 (2005)

"Can Laboratory Reference Strains Mirror 'Real-World' Pathogenesis?"
Fux, C.A., M. Shirtliff, P. Stoodley,and J.W. Costerton
Trends Microbiol., 13(2):58-63 (2005)


To read these paper abstracts or to order paper copies see:
http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/pubs/Database/PD_DisplayScript.asp

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Visitor

Welcome Dr. Deepak Kumar Sharma from the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Deepak will work with Dr. Lewandowski’s Structure and Function group for six months, quantifying the correlations between local biofilm activities and local biofilm structures.
 

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Education

W.G. Characklis Award

Congratulations to Ben Klayman, recipient of the annual W.G. Characklis Award! Created in honor of the Center's founder, this award is presented to a Center for Biofilm Engineering PhD student based on his/her contributions in research, especially as it pertains to advances made in achieving Center goals. Some examples of points considered are: a student's contributions to the Center's research by his/her own efforts and through interactions with other Center students and researchers, level of active participation in discussions in seminars, classes, presentations, and associations with industrial participants.

See the complete story on Ben’s contributions at: http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/education/CharacklisAward/ed-basics-wgc_2005.htm

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CBE People In Action

Anne Camper attended the second in a series of meetings of the National Research Council Water Science and Technology Board Committee, Public Water Supply Distribution Systems: Assessing and Reducing Risks. The group is providing guidance and insight to the US EPA on the public health risks associated with municipal drinking water distribution systems. The meeting was held in Newport Beach, CA, January 12–14, 2005.

Anne Camper gave two invited presentations, “Fundamentals of Bacterial Regrowth” and “Practical Implications of Disinfection for Controlling Regrowth,” to the South Carolina Branch, American Water Works Association, Greenville, SC, January 27, 2005.

Linda Loetterle, along with CBE interns Andrew Anacker, Shannon Goeres, Alex Hilyard, David Steppler and Taylor Thomas, presented posters at a research poster session for Montana legislators in Helena, MT, February 3, 2005.

Linda Loetterle, Al Cunningham and Alex Hilyard presented research posters at the Capitol Rotunda Poster Session in Helena, MT, February 9, 2005.

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Biofilm Education Resources

CBE Seminar Series

Invited guest speakers present their work to CBE researchers, MSU collaborators, and students. This seminar series has been organized by graduate students, Ben Klayman (Environmental Eng), Stewart Clark (Microbiology), and Willy Davison (Chemical Eng).

See the seminar schedule at: http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/whats_new/archives/Spring05_Seminar_Series.htm

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Upcoming CBE Workshops

“Biofilm Structure Quantification and Image Analysis,” sponsored by the CBE Structure-Function Research Group, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, July 21–22, 2005

“Microsensors: Manufacture and Applications,” sponsored by the CBE Structure-Function Research Group, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, August 8–12, 2005

“Bioelectrochemistry: Microbially Influenced Corrosion and Microbial Fuel Cells,” sponsored by the CBE Structure-Function Research Group, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, August 24–27, 2005

For more information on the workshops go to http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/research/workshops/default.htm

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Web Watch

BiofilmsOnline.com

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

Subscribe to the bi-weekly newsletter by registering at: http://www.biofilmsonline.com/cgi-bin/biofilmsonline/newsletter_signup.html

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Newsletter Listserve

The CBE News Update is a listserve newsletter. If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe from the listserve, follow the directions at the following CBE website.

http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/subscribe.htm

An alternative to subscribing to the listserve is to view the CBE News Update on our web page at http://www.erc.montana.edu/Ind-Col99-SW/Current_Newsletter/default.htm. Newsletter archives can be found at http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/index.htm.

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