Mechanical and microstructural insights of Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli dual-species biofilm at the air-liquid interface

Publication date: Available online 11 January 2020Source: Colloids and Surfaces B: BiointerfacesAuthor(s): Clémence Abriat, Kyle Enriquez, Nick Virgilio, Lynette Cegelski, Gerald G. Fuller, France Daigle, Marie-Claude HeuzeyAbstractBiofilm is the dominant microbial form found in nature, in which bacterial species are embedded in a self-produced extracellular matrix (ECM). These complex microbial communities are responsible for several infections when they involve multispecies pathogenic bacteria. In previous studies, interfacial rheology proved to be a unique quantitative technique to follow in real-time the biofilm formation at the air-liquid interface.In this work, we studied a model system composed of two bacteria pathogenic capable of forming a pellicle biofilm, V. cholerae and E. coli. We used an integrated approach by combining a real-time quantitative analysis of the biofilm rheological properties, with the investigation of major matrix components and the pellicle microstructure. The results highlight the competition for the interface between the two species, driven by the biofilm formation growth rate. In the dual-species biofilm, the viscoelastic properties were dominated by V. cholera, which formed a mature biofilm 18 hours faster than E. coli. The microstructure of the dual-species biofilm revealed a similar morphology to V. cholerae alone when both bacteria were initially added at the same amount. The analysis of some major ECM components showed that E. coli wa...

Source: Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces - January 11, 2020 Category: Biochemistry Source Type: research