• Title/Summary/Keyword: Biofilms

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Effect of Probiotic Clostridium butyricum NCTC 7423 Supernatant on Biofilm Formation and Gene Expression of Bacteroides fragilis

  • Shi, Da-Seul;Rhee, Ki-Jong;Eom, Yong-Bin
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.368-377
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    • 2020
  • Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) is the main pathogen causing severe inflammatory diseases and colorectal cancer. Its biofilm plays a key role in the development of colorectal cancer. The objective of this study was to determine the antagonistic effects of cell-free supernatants (CFS) derived from Clostridium butyricum against the growth and biofilm of ETBF. Our data showed that C. butyricum CFS inhibited the growth of B. fragilis in planktonic culture. In addition, C. butyricum CFS exhibited an antibiofilm effect by inhibiting biofilm development, disassembling preformed biofilms and reducing the metabolic activity of cells in biofilms. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy, we found that C. butyricum CFS significantly suppressed the proteins and extracellular nucleic acids among the basic biofilm components. Furthermore, C. butyricum CFS significantly downregulated the expression of virulence- and efflux pump-related genes including ompA and bmeB3 in B. fragilis. Our findings suggest that C. butyricum can be used as biotherapeutic agent by inhibiting the growth and biofilm of ETBF.

A Study of Nitrification Kinetics in the Biofilter Process for Aquaculture Water Treatment: A Review (양식 수처리를 위한 생물막 공정에서 질산화 영향인자에 대한 고찰)

  • Park, Noh Back;Park, Mi Seon;Lee, Jin Hwan;Myeong, Jeong In
    • Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.46 no.6
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    • pp.675-681
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    • 2013
  • There have been many studies on biofilter process regarding satisfactory water quality and the operational conditions of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). For effective nitrification processes, it is necessary to dynamically identify and apply nitrifying microorganisms. Physical, chemical and biological processes concerning biofilms can be applied and influential factors including substrate, dissolved oxygen concentrations, organic matter, temperature, pH, alkalinity, salinity and mixing velocity intensity need to be considered. Also, designing and managing the process based on the dynamic interpretation of these factors are prerequisites for engineering applications of the biofilter process. This paper draws on current literature on the kinetics of nitrification of biofilms in the biofilter process. Influential factors for nitrification are crucial during the biofilter process and are expected to be critical in informing the design and operation of recirculating aquaculture systems.

Food Spoilage by Pseudomonas spp. (Pseudomonas spp.에 의한 부패)

  • Kim, Kyungmi;Lee, Heeyoung;Lee, Soomin;Park, Beom-Young;Oh, Mi-Hwa;Yoon, Yohan
    • Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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    • v.31 no.2
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    • pp.179-186
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    • 2013
  • Pseudomonas spp. are Gram-negative psychrophilic bacteria, which can proliferate at refrigeration temperature. The bacteria produce heat-stable enzymes that can degrade fat and protein in foods. Hence, Pseudomonas spp. are related to the spoilage of milk, dairy products, and meat products under cold storage, causing economic loss. In the food industry, various methods have been used to remove bacteria including Pseudomonas spp. in food-related conditions, but they can be resistant to antimicrobials and sanitizers because they form biofilms regulated by quorum sensing (cell density-dependent cell-to-cell signaling). Since Pseudomonas cells in biofilms can cross-contaminate foods resulting in food spoilage and the survival of food-borne pathogens in food-related conditions, efficient decontamination technology and microbiological criteria should be established to reduce the occurrence of food spoilage by Pseudomonas spp.

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Corrosion of Copper in Anoxic Ground Water in the Presence of SRB

  • Carpen, L.;Rajala, P.;Bomberg, M.
    • Corrosion Science and Technology
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    • v.17 no.4
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    • pp.147-153
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    • 2018
  • Copper is used in various applications in environments favoring and enabling formation of biofilms by naturally occurring microbes. Copper is also the chosen corrosion barrier for nuclear waste in Finland. The copper canisters should have lifetimes of 100,000 years. Copper is commonly considered to be resistant to corrosion in oxygen-free water. This is an important argument for using copper as a corrosion protection in the planned canisters for spent nuclear-fuel encapsulation. However, microbial biofilm formation on metal surfaces can increase corrosion in various conditions and provide conditions where corrosion would not otherwise occur. Microbes can alter pH and redox potential, excrete corrosion-inducing metabolites, directly or indirectly reduce or oxidize the corrosion products, and form biofilms that create corrosive microenvironments. Microbial metabolites are known to initiate, facilitate, or accelerate general or localized corrosion, galvanic corrosion, and intergranular corrosion, as well as enable stress-corrosion cracking. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are present in the repository environment. Sulfide is known to be a corrosive agent for copper. Here we show results from corrosion of copper in anoxic simulated ground water in the presence of SRB enriched from the planned disposal site.

Microbial Community Analysis of a Methane-Oxidizing Biofilm Using Ribosomal Tag Pyrosequencing

  • Kim, Tae-Gwan;Lee, Eun-Hee;Cho, Kyung-Suk
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.22 no.3
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    • pp.360-370
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    • 2012
  • Current ecological knowledge of methanotrophic biofilms is incomplete, although they have been broadly studied in biotechnological processes. Four individual DNA samples were prepared from a methanotrophic biofilm, and a multiplex 16S rDNA pyrosequencing was performed. A complete library (before being de-multiplexed) contained 33,639 sequences (average length, 415 nt). Interestingly, methanotrophs were not dominant, only making up 23% of the community. Methylosinus, Methylomonas, and Methylosarcina were the dominant methanotrophs. Type II methanotrophs were more abundant than type I (56 vs. 44%), but less richer and diverse. Dominant non-methanotrophic genera included Hydrogenophaga, Flavobacterium, and Hyphomicrobium. The library was de-multiplexed into four libraries, with different sequencing efforts (3,915 - 20,133 sequences). Sorrenson abundance similarity results showed that the four libraries were almost identical (indices > 0.97), and phylogenetic comparisons using UniFrac test and P-test revealed the same results. It was demonstrated that the pyrosequencing was highly reproducible. These survey results can provide an insight into the management and/or manipulation of methanotrophic biofilms.

Comparison of Antimicrobial Activity of Electrolyzed Water Using Various Electrodes against Biofilm of Oral Pathogens

  • Yoo, Yun S;Shin, Hyun-Seung;Lee, Sung-Hoon
    • International Journal of Oral Biology
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    • v.40 no.3
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    • pp.135-141
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    • 2015
  • Biofilms of oral microbes can cause various diseases in the oral cavity, such as dental caries, periodontitis and mucosal disease. Electrolyzed water generated by an electric current passed via water using a metal electrode has an antimicrobial effect on pathogenic bacteria which cause food poisoning. This study investigated the antimicrobial activity of electrolyzed waters using various metal electrodes on the floatage and biofilms of oral microbes. The electrolyzed water was generated by passing electric current using copper, silver and platinum electrodes. The electrolyzed water has a neutral pH. Streptococcus mutans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia were cultured, and were used to form a biofilm using specific media. The floatage and biofilm of the microbes were then treated with the electrolyzed water. The electrolyzed water using platinum electrode (EWP) exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against the floatage and biofilm of the oral microbes. However, the electrolyzed water using copper and silver electrodes had no effect. The EWP disrupted the biofilm of oral microbes, except the S. mutans biofilm. Comparing the different electrolyzed waters that we created the platinum electrode generated water may be an ideal candidate for prevention of dental caries and periodontitis.

Mutanase Induction in Trichoderma harzianum by Cell Wall of Laetiporus sulphureus and its Application for Mutan Removal from Oral Biofilms

  • Wiater, Adrian;Szczodrak, Janusz;Pleszczynska, Malgorzata
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.18 no.7
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    • pp.1335-1341
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    • 2008
  • The cell wall material from fruiting bodies of Laetporus sulphureus has been suggested as a new alternative to mutan for the mutanase induction in Trichoderma harzianum. Structural analyses revealed that the cell wall fraction from this polypore fungus contained 56.3% of (1$\rightarrow$3)-linked $\alpha$-glucans. When the strain T. harzianum F-340 was grown on a cell wall preparation from L. sulphureus, the maximal enzyme productivity obtained after 3 days of cultivation was 0.71 U/ml. This yield was about 1.8-fold higher than that achieved on mutan, known so far as the best, but expensive and inaccessible, inducer of mutanase production. Cell-wall-induced mutanase showed a high hydrolytic potential in reaction with a dextranase-pretreated mutan, where maximal degrees of saccharification and solubilization of this biopolymer (80% and 100%, respectively) were reached in 3 h at 45$^{\circ}C$. The mutanase preparation was also effective in degradation of streptococcal mutan and its removal from oral biofilms, especially in a mixture with dextranase.