A quantitative understanding of microorganism
migration in geological formations is critical to predict
the dissemination of microorganisms in the environ
ment and to evaluate the efficacy of microbially
mediated in
situ pollutant degradation. The
key event
that retards the movement of microorganisms in the
saturated zone with respect to the convective water
flow is the interaction between microorganisms and
the matrix surfaces. This interaction may result in
adhesion and concomitant retardation. Interactions
are determined by the surface thermodynamics of the
microorganism and the matrix. Whereas the nature
of the matrix substratum surface may be considered
temporally invariant, the nature of bacterial cell
surfaces is a function of its physiological state.
The
work presented here explored quantitatively the
impact of the physiological state of
Pseudomonas
aeruginosa Olin on its surface thermodynamic
characteristics and its adhesion to dolomite. Lewis acid/base (hydrophobic), Lifshitz−van der Waals
(electrodynamic), and Coulombic (electrostatic) forces
were measured via contact angle measurements
and electrophoretic mobility assays. It was found
that
P.
aeruginosa Olin exhibited a decreased
electron-donating potential (γi
-) and increased
ζ-potential in
the stationary phase as compared with logarithmic
growth and decay phases. These changes in surface
thermodynamic properties were clearly manifested
in subsequent partitioning experiments with dolomite.
P.
aeruginosa Olin was found to partition
onto dolomite
to a significantly larger extent in the stationary
phase than in the logarithmic growth or decay phases.
This observation further corroborates the need to
include Lewis acid/base interactions in the evaluation
of bacterium/surface interactions. The reported
results indicate the clear impact of physiological state
on surface thermodynamics and adhesion.
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