In the Massachusetts Institute of technology a recent discovery has been made. (I felt like this tied in with what we went over in class on tuesday; about the different places where microbes live and thrive.) It turns out that you are less likely to find bacteria in moving waters, but you will find them attached to surfaces in those waters. This surfaces can be rocks, wood or any other object in the water. The flowing water can have two significant effects on microbes: Stocker says, "It quenches the ability of microbes to chase food and it helps microbes find surfaces.”
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| The flow of the water determines the amount of microbes in it! |
In previous studies of microbes in water, researchers have never really taken into consideration, “the flow” of the water. This can play a crucial role, because it could be feeding the microbes or killing them. It makes us realize how much of an effect flow has on microbes.
In their experiment they used tubes as the object in the water. They noticed that the bacteria would stick to the walls of the tube and create a biofilm, but this effect changed with the flow of the water. For lots of biofilm to form their needed to be a pretty high flow.
This information is great, because with this knowledge they can design medical equipment with slow rates of flow in order to prevent microbes from attaching to the tubes and growing; or it can work the other way around. Now that they understand the concept of microbes and flow they can manipulate it, to their convenience. This new discovery is important, because bacteria the builds a biofilm is 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics. It is important to prevent the growth of microbes before they create their biofilms, because it is a lot easier and safer.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140224124119.htm
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