(311a) Microbial Growth and Microbial Community Assembly in Household Water Pipes

Microbial regrowth occurs in household water pipes where biofilms already established despite potable water being stringently treated, low-nutrient, and supplied with disinfectants. Certain opportunistic pathogens (Legionella spp., non-tuberculous mycobacteria, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) are enriched in the plumbing environment and are implicated in disease outbreaks. In order to better manage microbial regrowth in pipes, we require better fundamental understandings about the growth kinetics and rules governing the assembly mechanisms of microbial communities. Here, we will discuss microbiome community assemblages in real-world household water from U.S. cities, and the models to explain the regrowth kinetics and community compositions from process and ecological perspectives, respectively. Insights from water microbiome development in drinking water pipes holds relevance to scaling up new materials in contact with real-world fluids.