The Battle of the Biofilms:

Introduction

Ben and Gerri had been saving for years for their dream vacation cruise to Bermuda on the luxury ship Endemic.   They had a great time eating all day at open buffet tables, swimming in the deck pool and touring islands. Ben even took his first jacuzzi.  

However, by the last few days of the trip, they were both feeling pretty poorly-- tired, coughing, fever.  A few weeks later, Ben, Gerri & 16 other passengers were hospitalized with Legionnaires' disease. There were 30 other suspected cases, and one person died.

The Center for DIsease Control (CDC) was called in to investigate.

INSTRUCTIONS: We have developed a series of questions for you to answer as you go through this case study. If you have not yet done so, download and print a copy of the Worksheet from the References panel at the right.

References