TY - JOUR
T1 - In vitro assessment of inter-kingdom biofilm formation by bacteria and filamentous fungi isolated from a drinking water distribution system
AU - Afonso, Tiago Barros
AU - Simões, Lúcia Chaves
AU - Lima, Nelson
N1 - Funding Information:
Tiago B. Afonso acknowledges the grant provided by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under grant no. PD/BD/128033/2016. This study was also supported by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020–Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2019/11/26
Y1 - 2019/11/26
N2 - The main focus so far in the study of biofilm formation in drinking water has been bacteria. Studies on biofilm formation involving filamentous fungi are, therefore, scarce. This study aimed to assess and characterize the ability of these microorganisms to interact with bacteria whilst forming inter-kingdom biofilms. Biofilms were analysed in terms of total biomass, metabolic activity, bacterial colony forming units and morphology by epifluorescence microscopy. The quantitative methods revealed that biofilm mass increased over time for both single and inter-kingdom biofilms, while specific metabolic activity decreased, in general, along the time points evaluated. Microscopic data visually confirmed the biofilm mass increase over time. This study shows that fungal stage development is important in the first 24 h of biofilm formation. Inter-kingdom biofilm formation is microorganism dependent and inter-kingdom biofilms may provide an advantage to the opportunistic bacterium Acinetobacter calcoaceticus to replicate and proliferate when compared with Methylobacterium oryzae.
AB - The main focus so far in the study of biofilm formation in drinking water has been bacteria. Studies on biofilm formation involving filamentous fungi are, therefore, scarce. This study aimed to assess and characterize the ability of these microorganisms to interact with bacteria whilst forming inter-kingdom biofilms. Biofilms were analysed in terms of total biomass, metabolic activity, bacterial colony forming units and morphology by epifluorescence microscopy. The quantitative methods revealed that biofilm mass increased over time for both single and inter-kingdom biofilms, while specific metabolic activity decreased, in general, along the time points evaluated. Microscopic data visually confirmed the biofilm mass increase over time. This study shows that fungal stage development is important in the first 24 h of biofilm formation. Inter-kingdom biofilm formation is microorganism dependent and inter-kingdom biofilms may provide an advantage to the opportunistic bacterium Acinetobacter calcoaceticus to replicate and proliferate when compared with Methylobacterium oryzae.
KW - Bacteria
KW - Biomass quantification
KW - Microscopy
KW - Microtitre plates
KW - Penicillium expansum
KW - Penicillium brevicompactum
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85075750731&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/08927014.2019.1688793
DO - 10.1080/08927014.2019.1688793
M3 - Article
C2 - 31778071
AN - SCOPUS:85075750731
SN - 0892-7014
VL - 35
SP - 1041
EP - 1054
JO - Biofouling
JF - Biofouling
IS - 10
ER -
