AAAR 33rd Annual Conference
October 20 - October 24, 2014
Rosen Shingle Creek
Orlando, Florida, USA
Abstract View
Biofilms and Bioaerosols in Showers
MARIA D. KING, Alexandra Caya, Chloe Wooldridge, Juan Pedro Maestre, Michal Ziv-El, Yassin Hassan, Kerry Kinney, Texas A&M University
Abstract Number: 249 Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract The aim of this study is to delineate potential human allergens and pathogens in the bioaerosols that are released during a shower event and potentially form a biofilm on the shower stall and showerhead surfaces. Diverse fungal and bacterial microorganisms have been detected in municipal water that can become aerosolized during showering. We are currently analyzing the microorganisms that colonize residential water lines and showers; including an experimental double shower unit in controlled environment with two showerheads of different flow rates to determine the difference in waterborne, airborne and biofilm forming microbes.
In residential showers on different water supplies, bioaerosol samples were collected before, during and after shower operation with a high throughput (100 L/min) wetted wall cyclone (WWC). Biofilm (from showerhead, shower stall walls, floor and ceiling) and tap water samples were also collected. QPCR using 16S and ITS2 amplification was performed for bacteria and fungi. Periodic (weekly for eight weeks then once a month) sampling was also performed in the experimental shower units. The microbiomes are being delineated using Illumina sequencing.
The results indicate that bacteria are released into shower air during shower operation. QPCR of the DNA extracted from bioaerosol samples indicate that bioaerosol levels on the order of 1x10$^6 bacterial 16S gene copy numbers per m$^3 are present during shower event. The samples from the residential shower units are currently being sequenced to delineate the microorganisms present and to assess potential sources of the recovered microbial community. Results indicate that the Mycobacterium genus represents a significant fraction of the bacterial sequences recovered in some residential shower units. Results of the experimental shower studies indicate that showerheads with different flow rates affect the microbiome composition.
This study is assessing the composition of shower bioaerosols as well as the source and magnitude of this potential human exposure risk.