MCB Seminar | Evaluating Touch Transfer of Microbes on Surfaces, Nov. 8

The Molecular and Cellular Biology Seminar series presents Dr. Christopher Jones “Evaluating Touch Transfer of Microbes on Surfaces” at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 8 in Porter 104.  

Biography: Jones is the Director of Research and Development at Sharklet Technologies Inc. in Aurora, CO. He has held this position for over three years. He leads the biological testing, method development, and product assessment studies, as well as manages the intellectual property portfolio. He serves on the ASTM E35.15 Subcommittee on Antimicrobials and represents Sharklet as an Industrial Associate at the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University. Jones earned both his B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Microbiology from Ohio University. After several years as a technician in academia and industry, he earned his Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases from Ohio State University. He continued his training in bacterial attachment to surfaces with a Postdoctoral position at the University of California, Santa Cruz. With over 15 years of study in infectious diseases and molecular biology, he specializes in the study of how pathogens attach to surfaces and form biofilms.

Abstract: Spread of pathogens on contaminated surfaces plays a key role in disease transmission. Surface technologies that control pathogen transfer can help control fomite transmission and are of great interest to public health. Here, we report a novel bead transfer method for evaluating fomite transmission in common laboratory settings. We show that this method meets several important criteria for quantitative test methods, including reasonableness, relevancy, resemblance, responsiveness, and repeatability, and therefore may be adaptable for standardization. In addition, this method can be applied to a wide variety of pathogens including bacteria, phage, and human viruses. Using the bead transfer method, we demonstrate that an engineered micropattern limits transfer of Staphylococcus aureus by 97.8% and T4 bacteriophage by 93.0% on silicone surfaces. Furthermore, the micropattern significantly reduces transfer of influenza B virus and human coronavirus on silicone and polypropylene surfaces. Our results highlight the potential of using surface texture as a valuable new strategy in combating infectious diseases.