Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE)

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/9334

At the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE), multidisciplinary research teams develop beneficial uses for microbial biofilms and find solutions to industrially relevant biofilm problems. The CBE was established at Montana State University, Bozeman, in 1990 as a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. As part of the MSU College of Engineering, the CBE gives students a chance to get a head start on their careers by working on research teams led by world-recognized leaders in the biofilm field.

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    Antimicrobial Coating Efficacy for Prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Growth on ISS Water System Materials
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2022-04) Mettler, Madelyn K.; Parker, Ceth W.; Venkateswaran, Kasthuri; Peyton, Brent M.
    Biofilms can lead to biofouling, microbially induced corrosion, physical impediment and eventual loss in function of water systems, and other engineered systems. The remoteness and closed environment of the International Space Station (ISS) make it vulnerable to unchecked biofilm growth; thus, biofilm mitigation strategies are crucial for current ISS operation and future long duration and deep-space crewed missions. In this study, a space flown bacterial strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA14) was used as a model organism for its ability to form biofilms. Additionally, a novel antimicrobial coating’s ability to reduce biofilm accumulation on stainless steel, Teflon, titanium, and Inconel (all used in the ISS water treatment and handling systems) was analyzed. Coated materials demonstrated reductions of P. aeruginosa biofilm across all materials when tested in a continuous flow system with tryptic soy broth medium. However, the coating lost efficacy in potato dextrose broth medium. These findings were corroborated via scanning electron microscopy. This study illustrates the fundamental importance of using multiple approaches to test antibiofilm strategies, as well as the specificity in which conditions such strategies can be implemented.
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