Supplemental nutrients stimulate the amplification of carbapenemase-producing (CPKP) in a sink drain biofilm reactor model.

Liquid wastes (LW) disposed in hospital handwashing sinks may affect colonization of sink P-traps by carbapenemase-producing (CPKP), causing CPKP dispersal into the patient care environment. This study aimed to determine the effect of LW on biofilm formation and CPKP colonization in a P-Trap model (PTM). PTMs containing polymicrobial biofilms grown in autoclaved municipal tap water (ATW) supplemented with 5% dextrose in water (D5W), nutritional shake (Shake), sugar-based soft drink (Soda), or ATW were inoculated with ST258 KPC+ (ST258) or CAV1016 (CAV1016) and sampled after 7, 14, and 21 d.

Bacteriophage treatment of carbapenemase-producing in a multispecies biofilm: a potential biocontrol strategy for healthcare facilities.

The p-traps of hospital handwashing sinks represent a potential reservoir for antimicrobial-resistant organisms of major public health concern, such as carbapenemase-producing KPC+ (CPKP). Bacteriophages have reemerged as potential biocontrol agents, particularly against biofilm-associated, drug-resistant microorganisms. The primary objective of our study was to formulate a phage cocktail capable of targeting a CPKP strain (CAV1016) at different stages of colonization within polymicrobial drinking water biofilms using a CDC biofilm reactor (CBR) p-trap model.

Pythium and Phytopythium Species in Two Pennsylvania Greenhouse Irrigation Water Tanks.

Two commercial greenhouses producing potted plants in Pennsylvania using recycled irrigation water in an ebb-and-flood system have incurred significant crop losses due to Pythium aphanidermatum. In cooperation with the greenhouses, one or more of their water tanks was monitored continuously (128 tank samplings) for Pythium spp. by baiting.