By: Elizabeth Juarez
The figure shows the taxonomic composition of the samples recovered from the shower hoses. 16s rRNA was used to identify the metagenomes and isolates (Domingo et al., 2016)
Drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) undergo a process of disinfection that gets rid of most bacteria and other microorganisms. However, recent studies have shown that some bacteria are capable of tolerating the effects of the disinfection process by creating biofilms. These biofilms are more resistant to antimicrobials than planktonic bacteria, they can detach and travel to other surfaces, and they can cause nosocomial infections. To better understand the relationship between biofilms and DWDS, a study was done in a hospital located in Ohio. Samples were collected from 40 showerheads of different rooms for four consecutive days, and the free chlorine residual, the pH, and the temperature of the drinking water were recorded. According to the study, the results showed two dominant genome populations. The most dominant was Mycobacterium sp. and the second most dominant was related to Blastomas. They also found some opportunistic pathogens closely related to M. rhodesiae and M. tusiae that cause pulmonary and disseminated infections in humans with low immunodeficiency. These are the general findings of this study, but more opportunistic pathogens were identified with low genome abundance. The results in the hospital settings are a starting point to study how to innovate sterilization in DWDS.
Domingo, S., Elk, M., Hoelle, J., Konstantinidis, K.T., Lou, C., Rodriguez-R, L.M., Ryu, H., Soto-Giron, M.J., W.J. (2016). Biofilms on hospital shower hoses: characterizations and implications for nosocomial infections. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.03529-15.
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