In this episode our hosts are joined by Dr. Paul Sturman, Research Professor and Industrial Coordinator at the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE), to discuss biofilms and their relationship to the CDC’s list of opportunistic pathogens. This season, Dr. Kimothy Smith and Christian Railsback have been dissecting this list of pathogens, specifically those that cause disease. Biofilms are a big part of the microbiome of premise plumbing systems and the different concentrations of bulk water pathogens. Dr. Sturman’s extensive research and knowledge of these slimy communities of microorganisms offer insightful points about biofilms, pathogens, and how they affect the systems in which they grow.

More about biofilm consortiums:
National Biofilms Innovation Centre
Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering
Costerton Biofilm Center
Center for Biofilm Engineering

Stay tuned for more episodes, posting on the first Thursday of each month. Subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts and find more info at weebeastiespodcast.com

The Wee Beasties podcast is a production of Nephros, Inc., a leading water technology company providing filtration and pathogen detection solutions to the medical and commercial markets.

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SHOW OUTLINE:

Today’s episode features a conversation with Dr. Paul Sturman, a Research Professor and Industrial Coordinator at the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE). Dr. Paul Sturman began his impressive line of work in Forestry, operating in the wood products industry before pursuing his master’s in environmental engineering at Montana State University. While completing post-grad bioremediation work of soil and groundwater and working as research faculty at MSU, Dr. Sturman received project funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), allowing him to advance his environmental engineering education by obtaining his PhD. Currently, Dr. Sturman serves as Research Professor and Industrial Coordinator at the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE) in Bozeman, MT. He currently works on a NASA-funded project, attempting to answer how biofilm growth compromises the wastewater system.

Our discussion covers:

• Sturman’s background and expertise in biofilm research
• Current projects at the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE)
  • Examining how biofilm growth compromises the wastewater system
  • Collaborations with government organizations (NASA, the EPA and FDA)
  • Collaborations with international biofilm organizations (NBIC, SCELSE, and Costerton Biofilm center in Denmark)
• What is a biofilm?
• Biofilm characteristics
  • What encourages proliferation?
  • What does and does not penetrate biofilm?
• Biofilm producers
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa and coli as biofilm producers
• How do you identify the other organisms present in the microbiome?
  • Using PCR to identify present microorganisms
  • Proteomics techniques help identify which microorganisms are active and what they are doing
  • 3D imaging as a burgeoning method of identifying the structure and behavioral growth of the biofilm
  • Using probes to sense the biofilm in real-time, and as a means of observation and measurement
• Biofilms challenges in the hospital environment
• CBE focal points for the future
  • More biofilm education is critical to private industry and the general population