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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Biofilm: Formation, Control, and Applications
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Biofilm: Formation, Control, and Applications

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Biofilm".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2025 | Viewed by 2682

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Huan Gu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Tagliatela College of Engineering, University of New Haven, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
Interests: biofilm formation; material properties; cell-to-cell interactions; prevention; environmental and medical challenges

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bacterial biofilms are aggregates of single or multiple species of bacteria formed at various interfaces, such as solid–liquid, liquid–air, or liquid–liquid interfaces. Beneficial biofilms have played important roles in bioremediation, fermentation, nuclear waste cleanup, and manufacturing. However biofilms can also be detrimental by causing infections, biofouling, and biocorrosion. Understanding how biofilms are formed is critical to efficiently prevent and remove detrimental biofilms and optimally engineer biofilms with beneficial attributes. Recently, the material properties (e.g., viscosity and elasticity) of biofilms are attracting extensive attention due to their roles in controlling the activities of embedded cells (e.g., metabolic activities and cell-to-cell interactions) and the responses of biofilms to external perturbations (e.g., biofilm disruption). This Special Issue welcomes research on bacterial biofilms to better understand the molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation for biofilm control.

Dr. Huan Gu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biofilm formation
  • material properties
  • cell-to-cell interactions
  • prevention
  • removal
  • control

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1458 KiB  
Article
Combined Effects of the Pijolavirus UFJF_PfSW6 Phage and Sodium Hypochlorite for Reducing Pseudomonas fluorescens Biofilm
by Matheus B. Mendes, Pedro M. P. Vidigal, Maryoris E. Soto Lopez and Humberto M. Hungaro
Microorganisms 2024, 12(12), 2523; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12122523 - 7 Dec 2024
Viewed by 658
Abstract
Pseudomonas are significant spoilage bacteria in raw milk and dairy products, primarily due to their ability to form biofilms and resist disinfection. This study explored the effects of the UFJF_PfSW6 phage combined with sodium hypochlorite in reducing Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms on stainless steel at [...] Read more.
Pseudomonas are significant spoilage bacteria in raw milk and dairy products, primarily due to their ability to form biofilms and resist disinfection. This study explored the effects of the UFJF_PfSW6 phage combined with sodium hypochlorite in reducing Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms on stainless steel at various temperatures and ages. Biofilms were formed using P. fluorescens UFV 041 in UHT milk, incubated at 4 °C and 30 °C for 2 and 7 days. Two lytic phages were compared, with UFJF_PfSW6 showing superior activity, reducing cell counts by 0.8 to 2.0 logs CFU/cm2 depending on conditions. Increasing the contact time of the UFJF_PfSW6 phage from 4 to 8 h did not significantly affect the reduction in mature biofilms. The individual treatments of the phage and sodium hypochlorite (100 mg/L) reduced bacterial counts by 0.9 and 0.6 log CFU/cm2 at 30 °C, and 1.3 and 1.2 log CFU/cm2 at 4 °C, respectively. However, their sequential application achieved greater reductions, reaching 1.3 and 1.8 log CFU/cm2 for biofilms formed at 30 °C and 4 °C, respectively. These findings suggest a promising strategy for controlling P. fluorescens in the food industry. Our findings suggest that the UFJF_PfSW6 phage combined with chlorine improves the removal of P. fluorescens biofilms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm: Formation, Control, and Applications)
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24 pages, 1529 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Seed Inoculation with Bacterial Biofilm on the Growth and Elemental Composition of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Cultivated on a Zinc-Contaminated Substrate
by Mirta Esther Galelli, Josefina Ana Eva Cristóbal-Miguez, Eliana Cárdenas-Aguiar, Ana Rosa García, Antonio Paz-González and Gabriela Cristina Sarti
Microorganisms 2024, 12(11), 2237; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12112237 - 5 Nov 2024
Viewed by 734
Abstract
Biofilm obtained from Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii inoculated on vegetable seeds has been shown to have plant growth-promoting capacity. Seed inoculation with biofilm produced by this strain could also reduce the adverse effects on plant growth caused by soil or substrate heavy metal [...] Read more.
Biofilm obtained from Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii inoculated on vegetable seeds has been shown to have plant growth-promoting capacity. Seed inoculation with biofilm produced by this strain could also reduce the adverse effects on plant growth caused by soil or substrate heavy metal overabundance. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of biofilm inoculated on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seeds, which were planted on a substrate with artificially added zinc. First, seeds of the Río Grande tomato variety were exposed to increasing zinc concentrations, namely: 50, 100, 200, and 400 ppm, with and without bacterial biofilm inoculation. Zinc addition and seed inoculation affected germination parameters. For example, an extra 200 and 400 ppm of zinc led to high toxicity. Biofilm inoculation, however, reduced the noxious effects of excess zinc, bringing acute toxicity down to moderate. Then, tomato plants growing from inoculated and non-inoculated seeds were cropped for 4 months in both substrates with 400 ppm zinc and without added zinc. Extra zinc addition significantly (p < 0.05) reduced tomato root and shoot biomass, plant height, and fruit number at harvest time. However, seed biofilm inoculation avoided the harmful effect of zinc on plant growth parameters, fruit yield, and fruit quality. The roots and shoots of plants growing on contaminated substrates showed very noticeable increases in zinc levels compared to the control, while fruits only showed a much weaker zinc gain, even if this was significant (p < 0.05). Moreover, root shoot and fruit concentrations of elements other than zinc, (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, manganese, copper, lead, and cadmium) were not or only weakly affected by the addition of this metal to the substrate. In summary, the biofilm of B. subtilis proved to be effective as a bioinoculant to alleviate negative effects on tomatoes cropped in a substrate with excess zinc. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm: Formation, Control, and Applications)
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16 pages, 4125 KiB  
Article
A Single Base Change in the csgD Promoter Resulted in Enhanced Biofilm in Swine-Derived Salmonella Typhimurium
by Zhe Li, Mengke Zhang, Gaopeng Lei, Xin Lu, Xiaorong Yang and Biao Kan
Microorganisms 2024, 12(7), 1258; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12071258 - 21 Jun 2024
Viewed by 931
Abstract
Pathogenic Salmonella strains causing gastroenteritis typically can colonize and proliferate in the intestines of multiple host species. They retain the ability to form red dry and rough (rdar) biofilms, as seen in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Conversely, Salmonella serovar like Typhi, [...] Read more.
Pathogenic Salmonella strains causing gastroenteritis typically can colonize and proliferate in the intestines of multiple host species. They retain the ability to form red dry and rough (rdar) biofilms, as seen in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Conversely, Salmonella serovar like Typhi, which can cause systemic infections and exhibit host restriction, are rdar-negative. In this study, duck-derived strains and swine-derived strains of S. Typhimurium locate on independent phylogenetic clades and display relative genomic specificity. The duck isolates appear more closely related to human blood isolates and invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS), whereas the swine isolates were more distinct. Phenotypically, compared to duck isolates, swine isolates exhibited enhanced biofilm formation that was unaffected by the temperature. The transcriptomic analysis revealed the upregulation of csgDEFG transcription as the direct cause. This upregulation may be mainly attributed to the enhanced promoter activity caused by the G-to-T substitution at position −44 of the csgD promoter. Swine isolates have created biofilm polymorphisms by altering a conserved base present in Salmonella Typhi, iNTS, and most Salmonella Typhimurium (such as duck isolates). This provides a genomic characteristics perspective for understanding Salmonella transmission cycles and evolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm: Formation, Control, and Applications)
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