Prufrock and why nobody should lettuce love that dirty water.

A few days ago I posted the first few lines of an adaptation of a poem: The love song of J. Romaine Lettuce: Lettuce go then, E. coli, While evenly spread out your counts are high Make a patient etherized upon a table; Lettuce go, through certain half-soiled sheets, The muttering retweets … I did …

NASEM Webinar “Microbiome, Wastewater Treatment, and Antibiotic Resistance” 9/25/18

Just got this e-mail regarding an upcoming NASEM Webinar “Microbiome, Wastewater Treatment, and Antibiotic Resistance” on 9/25/18.  Here’s the description of the event: In 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released the report, Microbiomes of the Built Environment: A Research Agenda for Indoor Microbiology, Human Health, and Buildings. The report highlights the importance …

microBEnet Fieldwork: Wastewater Treatment Plant

So yesterday morning, Jonathan Eisen and myself headed down to Antioch, CA to sample a pilot wastewater treatment facility.  In a couple of hours I went from knowing literally nothing about the process to having some handle on at least the latter stages.  Pretty cool microbiology. As I understand the problem at hand, conventional wastewater …

Paper of Interest: Drinking water microbiome assembly induced by water stagnation

Just came across this paper today from the University of Illinois, “Drinking water microbiome assembly induced by water stagnation“.  Looks like a good study on actual residential tap water systems.   Was also happy to see that the press release didn’t dip too much into scare-mongering.   Worth a read by folks interested in water systems.  Abstract …

New Report on The Struggle for Water Justice from the UC Davis Center for Regional Change

Of potential interest:: The Struggle for Water Justice from the Center for Regional Change at UC Davis. Summary: The Struggle for Water Justice: Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities in California’s San Joaquin ValleyFebruary 2018 In California, lack of access to clean, safe, and affordable water is a threat to public health and well-being, and violates the state’s newly codified …

Podcast-Mark Hernandez, PhD, PE – Microbiology of the Normal and Water Damaged Buildings

Episode 425 focuses on the microbiology of the normal and water damaged built environment. With respect to environmental investigations, Hernandez’s aerobiology characterization work has focused on large scale disasters including bioaerosols generated by major metropolitan floods.

Watercolours “created” by bacteria (sort of, but still really cool)

OK this is cool :This watercolour painting was created by artistic bacteria | WIRED UK Though not quite what the headline says. From the article With Park’s guidance, Roberts placed Serratia marcescens – a red pigmented bacteria – on to agar plates previously painted with watercolours. When coming into contact with the paint, the bacteria …

Paper of interest: antibiotic resistance and the safety of reusing treated wastewater

Paper of possible interest: Hong, P.-Y.; Julian, T.R.; Pype, M.-L.; Jiang, S.C.; Nelson, K.L.; Graham, D.; Pruden, A.; Manaia, C.M. Reusing Treated Wastewater: Consideration of the Safety Aspects Associated with Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Antibiotic Resistance Genes. Water 2018, 10, 244. Abstract: As more countries engage in water reuse, either intended or de facto, there is …

Provisional Committee Announced: Management of Legionella in Water Systems

Legionella is a bacterium found in drinking water distributions systems, as well as premise plumbing, hot tubs, hot water heaters, cooling towers, and other building water systems. At high enough concentrations and when inhaled, Legionella can cause Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever, the former of which can be fatal if infected people are not treated …

Nominate an Expert: Managing Legionella in Water Systems

An update on this story Managing Legionella in Water Systems Nominate Experts for an Upcoming Consensus Project The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will undertake a project on the management of Legionella in water systems. An ad hoc committee will review the state of science with respect to Legionella contamination of water systems and issue a report that will: describe the microbial …