Mixed species biofilm

Complications of diabetes, such as diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), are common, multifactorial in origin, and costly to treat. DFUs are the cause of nearly 90% of limb amputations among persons with diabetes. In most chronic infections such as DFU, biofilms are involved. Bacteria in biofilms are 100-1000 times more resistant to antibiotics than their planktonic counterparts. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in DFUs may require alternative therapeutic agents such as bacteriophages ("phages")...

The bacteria within supragingival biofilms participate in complex exchanges with other microbes inhabiting the same niche. One example is the mutans group streptococci ( Streptococcus mutan s), implicated in the development of tooth decay, and other health-associated commensal streptococci species. Previously, our group transcriptomically characterized intermicrobial interactions between S. mutans and several species of oral bacteria. However, these experiments were carried out in a medium without human saliva...

In the food industry, foodborne spoilage bacteria often live in mixed species and attach to each other, leading to changes in spoilage characteristics. Quorum sensing (QS) has been reported to be a regulating mechanism for food spoiling by certain kinds of bacteria. Here, the contents of biofilm, extracellular polysaccharides, and biogenic amines in the coculture system of Hafnia alvei H4 and Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC13525 were significantly reduced when the QS element of H. alvei H4 was deleted, confirming that QS of H...

Dermatophytes associated with bacteria can lead to severe, difficult-to-treat infections and contribute to chronic infections. Trichophyton rubrum , Staphylococcus aureus , and Staphylococcus epidermidis can form biofilms influenced by nutrient availability. This study investigated biofilm formation by these species by utilizing diverse culture media and different time points. These biofilms were studied through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), biomass, metabolic activity, and colony-forming units (CFUs)...

The development of new and effective antibacterials for pharmaceutical or cosmetic skin care that have a low potential for the emergence and expansion of bacterial resistance is of high demand in scientific and applied research. Great hopes are placed on alternative agents such as bactericidal peptidoglycan hydrolases, depolymerases, etc. Enzybiotic-based preparations are being studied for the treatment of various infections and, among others, can be used as topical formulations and dressings with protein-polysaccharide complexes...

Salmonella contamination in meat processing facilities can lead to foodborne illness outbreaks. Our study characterized the microbiome dynamics in beef facility drains and their response to Salmonella addition and common sanitizer (QAC). Nitrospira could be an important genus in providing sanitizer resistance to pathogen-encompassed mixed-species biofilms. The results provide insight into the impact of mixed-species biofilms on Salmonella survival and persistence under sanitizer stress in meat processing facilities...

Candida species are now considered global threats by the CDC and WHO. Candida auris specifically is on the critical pathogen threat list along with Candida albicans. In addition, it is not uncommon to find Candida spp. in a mixed culture with bacterial organisms, especially Staphylococcus aureus producing polymicrobial infections. To eradicate these organisms from the environment and from patient surfaces, surface agents such as chlorhexidine (CHD) and Puracyn are used. Biofilm disrupters (BDs) are novel agents with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and have been used in the management of chronic wounds and to sterilise environmental surfaces for the past several years...

The increasing contamination of water systems by antibiotics and heavy metals has become a growing concern. The intimately coupled photocatalysis and biodegradation (ICPB) approach offers a promising strategy for the effective removal of mixed pollutants. Despite some prior research on ICPB applications, the mechanism by which ICPB eliminates mixed pollutants remains unclear. In our current study, the ICPB approach achieved approximately 1.53 times the degradation rate of ciprofloxacin (CIP) and roughly 1.82 times the reduction rate of Cr (VI) compared to photocatalysis...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the microbial contamination of three different brands of esthetic elastomeric ligatures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Different brands of esthetic ligatures (Unistick Pearl [American Orthodontics, Sheboygan, WI, USA], Power Sticks Pearl [Ortho Technology, Tampa, FL, USA], and Ease [Obscure, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, CA, USA]) were randomly assigned to permanent canines of 25 patients (aged 11-18 years) undergoing corrective orthodontic treatment...

Gram-negative bacterial infections pose a significant challenge due to two major resistance elements, including the impermeability of the outer membrane and the overexpression of efflux pumps, which contribute to antibiotic resistance. Additionally, the coexistence of multispecies superbugs in mixed species biofilms further complicates treatment, as these infections are refractory to most antibiotics. To address this issue, combining obsolete antibiotics with non-antibiotic adjuvants that target bacterial membranes has shown promise in combating antibacterial resistance...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial properties of three dimensionally-printed dental polymers (3DPs) incorporated with microencapsulated phytochemicals (MPs) and to assess their surface characteristics and cytotoxicity. METHODS: MPs derived from phytoncide oil and their specific chemical components were introduced into suspensions of three microbial species: Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus oralis, and Candida albicans. Optical density was measured to determine the microbial growth in the presence of MPs for testing their antimicrobial activity...

Fungi outbreaks in water will include a series of processes, including spore aggregation, germination, biofilm, and finally present in a mixed state in the aquatic environment. More attention is paid to the control of dispersed fungal spores, however, there was little knowledge of the control of germinated spores. This study investigated the inactivation kinetics and mechanism of ultraviolet (UV) treatment for fungal spores with different germination percentages compared with dormant spores. The results indicated that the inactivation rate constants (k) of spores with 5%-45% germination were 0...

Interactions between C. albicans and the microbiota play an important role in maintaining the balance between commensal and pathogenic organisms. Although the exact role of bacteria in reducing the pathogenicity of yeast remains poorly understood, a few examples have been documented so far: probiotics administration effectively reduces the formation of biofilm and bacterial metabolites inhibit the formation of hyphae. The aim of the study was to analyze C. albicans virulence levels based on the changes in the morphological structure and enzymatic profile in experimental cultures mixed with Escherichia coli...

Bifidobacteria are key gut commensals that confer various health benefits and are commonly used as probiotics. However, little is known about the population-level variation in gut bifidobacterial composition and its affecting factors. Therefore, we analyzed Bifidobacterium species with amplicon sequencing of the groEL gene on fecal samples of 1674 healthy individuals, who belonged to eight ethnic groups and resided in 60 counties/cities of 28 provinces across China. We found that the composition of the bifidobacterial community was associated with geographical factors, demographic characteristics, staple food type, and urbanization...

Competition is ubiquitous in microbial communities, shaping both their spatial and temporal structure and composition. Classical minimal models of competition, such as the Moran model, have been employed in ecology and evolutionary biology to understand the role of fixation and invasion in the maintenance of population diversity. Informed by recent experimental studies of cellular competition in confined spaces, we extend the Moran model to incorporate mechanical interactions between cells that divide within the limited space of a one-dimensional open microchannel...

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a high-risk foodborne pathogen associated with raw or undercooked seafoods and its biofilm forming potential has become a threat to food safety and economic values. Hence, this study aims to examine the antibacterial and antibiofilm activities as well as virulence inhibitory effects of selected flavonoids against V. parahaemolyticus . Out of the sixteen flavonoid derivatives, 6-aminoflavone (6-AF), 3,2-dihydroxyflavone (3,2-DHF) and 2,2-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (DHMB) were found as active biofilm inhibitors...

The oral cavity comprises numerous anatomical surfaces that are inhabited by a diverse array of bacteria, collectively forming a bacterial biofilm. Within this complex microbial community, certain bacterial species are etiologically linked to the development of common oral pathologies, such as dental caries and periodontitis, which stand as prominent instances of bacterial infections frequently encountered in clinical settings. Most biofilms are believed to be multispecies consortia. While single-species biofilms have been well-researched, mixed-species biofilms and their interactions amongst themselves have not drawn interest...

BACKGROUND: Use of mixed-oil intravenous fat emulsion (MO-IFE) was shown to inhibit C. albicans biofilm formation and overall rate of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CR-BSIs) compared to soybean-oil IFE (SO-IFE). We aimed to delineate this inhibitory mechanism and impact of IFE choice on distribution of fungal CR-BSIs. METHODS: Transcriptional profiling was conducted on C. albicans grown in SO-IFE, MO-IFE, or SO-IFE+capric acid. Overexpression strains of shared downregulated genes were constructed using a tetracycline-off system to assess hypha and biofilm formation in IFEs...

Kombucha is a natural fermented beverage (mixed system). This study aimed to unravel the signatures of kombucha in China to achieve tailor-made microbial consortium. Here, biochemical parameters, microbiome, metabolite production and volatile profile were comprehensively compared and characterized across four regions (AH, HN, SD, SX), both commonalities and distinctions were highlighted. The findings revealed that yeast species yeast Starmerella, Zygosaccharomyces, Dekkera, Pichia and bacterium Komagataeibacter, Gluconobacter were the most common microbes...

Identifying interspecies interactions in mixed-species biofilms is a key challenge in microbial ecology and is of paramount importance given that interactions govern community functionality and stability. We previously reported a bacterial four-species biofilm model comprising Stenotrophomonas rhizophila, Bacillus licheniformis, Microbacterium lacticum, and Calidifontibacter indicus that were isolated from the surface of a dairy pasteuriser after cleaning and disinfection. These bacteria produced 3.13-fold more biofilm mass compared to the sum of biofilm masses in monoculture...