Bacterial biofilms resist oxidising agents due to the presence of organic matter

Abstract

Jaglic Z., Červinková D., Vlková H., Michu E., Kunová G., Babák V. (2012): Bacterial biofilms resist oxidising agents due to the presence of organic matter. Czech J. Food Sci., 30: 178-187.This study evaluated the susceptibility of planktonic and biofilm cells of Staphylococcus spp. (n = 87), klebsiella spp. (n = 30), and escherichia coli (n = 74) isolates originating from food contact surfaces of milk and meat processing plants to benzalkonium chloride (BAC), sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), chloramine B (CAB), and peracetic acid (PAA). Bacterial growth and reduction of viable cells in the presence of disinfectants were determined in tryptone soya broth (TSB) and water, respectively. Biofilm positive isolates (n = 73) were tested for the presence of selected qac genes. Unlike BAC, chlorine-based disinfectants and PAA were poorly efficient in TSB, especially in the case of biofilms. However, when tested in water, the efficacy of NaClO, CAB and PAA substantially increased, which was particularly evident in biofilms. In water, staphylococcal biofilms were even more susceptible to CAB than planktonic cells. A part (23.3%) of the biofilm positive staphylococci carried the qac genes but did not express an increased resistance to BAC. This study showed that bacterial biofilms protected with organic matter could be one of the main reasons for disinfection failure.

Tolerance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in in-vitro biofilms to high-level peracetic acid disinfection

“…(2) However, the presence of organic debris and biofilm extracellular matrix (ECM) can significantly reduce the activity of disinfectant underlining the importance of the physical cleaning step prior to disinfection. (33) Here we have shown that the biofilm phenotype mediates a 100-fold increase in the minimum eradication concentration of PAA against P. aeruginosa biofilms bringing the concentration needed to kill the organism to the…”

Relationship between antibiotic- and disinfectant-resistance profiles in bacteria harvested from tap water

“…Among the processes, chemical disinfection contributes greatly to the control of microorganisms from treatment plant to point of use (Berry et al, 2006). However, it has been known that chemical disinfection has limitations in its immediate and prolonged effectiveness, and multiple factors reduce the effectiveness of disinfectants against bacterial populations (Scully et al, 1999, Cherchi and Gu, 2011, Jaglic et al, 2012, Bessa et al, 2014, including the presence of organic matter having amino nitrogen compounds (Scully and Hartman, 1996), bacterial growth phase (Cherchi and Gu, 2011) and the presence of extracellular polymeric matrix (Bridier et al, 2011, Wong et al, 2010.…”

Surface Roughness Mediated Adhesion Forces between Borosilicate Glass and Gram-Positive Bacteria

“…Not surprisingly, biofilms have formed on a variety of surfaces and are not only restricted to attachment at a solid−liquid interface but have been observed at solid−air and liquid−liquid interfaces, 1,5,8 with some having beneficial results as well as detrimental; for example, in industry biofilms are used successfully to separate coal particles from mineral matter. 9,10 On the other hand, biofilms have been known to cause biofouling reducing mass and heat transfer and effectively increasing corrosion; 6,11 also from a medical point of view, biofilm colonized implanted medical devices often lead to implant failure. 8 Furthermore, the food industry has had a major interest in biofilms as a result of their resistance to cleaning and disinfection because spoilage and pathogenic bacteria pose a risk to public health and product quality.…”