A More Reliable Article about Copper Use

(update, 3-25-14.  Fixed the link to the article being described and added link to PDF of paper available from Research Gate) I posted an article in the past discussing the benefits of copper as an antimicrobial agent, but the authors had a huge conflict of interest. However, I still found the idea of using copper …

Sampling Airborne Microbes in the Built Environment

This interesting article published in “CLEAN- Soil, Air, Water” (behind a paywall) in March 2013 aims to describe an efficient procedure for sampling airborne microbes and fungi in indoor environments. Airborne bacteria and spores commonly induce respiratory systems such as asthma and allergies, so they are an important component of the built environment. Gauzere et …

A Possible Solution to Nosocomial Infections?

This interesting review article from 2012 bridges clinical Microbiology and the study of the built environment. Authors Borkow and Monk discuss various sources of nosocomial infections (NI) and a potential solution to the problem. Despite rigorous efforts to sterilize and sanitize hospitals, NI are persistent and pose a serious threat to patients who are already …

Interesting Findings about Drinking Water

Though our water undergoes many steps to become drinkable, there are many microbes that remain and have the potential to cause disease. A December study conducted in China aimed to determine the microbial compositions of water before and after treatment.  This study was unique because it also sought to find the difference in microbial functions …

Hospital Water May Not be as Safe as You Think

Researchers in Italy have found abnormally high levels of infectious microbes in the water from faucets at two hospitals compared to water coming in from the deeper areas of the pipes. One of the reasons is that the water is not meeting the chlorine or temperature requirement needed to eliminate harmful pathogens, such as Acinetobacter …