Summary
Potable water is a major source of opportunistic pathogens that cause a variety of life-threatening infections in immunocompromised people, with a yearly US economic burden of $2.4 billion dollars. Biofilms ubiquitously coat surfaces within building premise plumbing that delivers potable water (e.g. water pipes, faucets, shower heads) and serve as a reservoir for opportunistic pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. My postdoctoral studies and work from other laboratories implicate potable water as a source of P. aeruginosa that causes deadly respiratory infections in people with cystic f
