Nutritional Influences on Biofilm Development

Abstract

The amounts and types of nutrients in the environment influence the development and final bacterial and chemical composition of biofilms. In oligotrophic environments, organisms respond to nutrient stress by alterations in their cell morphology and cell surfaces, which enhance adherence. Little is known of the responses to stress by bacteria in the animal oral cavity. The environment in the oral cavity is less extreme, and saliva provides a constant source of nutrients. Catabolic cooperation among oral bacteria allow carbon and nitrogen from salivary glycoproteins to be utilized. Modification of growth environments of oral bacteria can influence their cell surfaces and adhesion. Studies in experimental animals have shown that feeding either glucose or sucrose diets or fasting has little effect on the initial stages of development of oral biofilms. However, diet can influence the proportions of different bacterial species later in biofilm development. Studies of competition among populations in communities of oral bacteria in vitro and in vivo have shown the significance of carbon limitation and excess and changes in environmental pH. Relatively few studies have been made of the role of a nitrogen metabolism in bacterial competition in biofilms. In keeping with biofilms in nature, oral biofilms provide a sequestered habitat, where organisms are protected from removal by saliva and where interactions among cells generate a biofilm environment, distinct from that of saliva. Oral biofilms are an essential component in the etiologies of caries and periodontal disease, and understanding the biology of oral biofilms has aided and will continue to aid in the prevention and treatment of these diseases.

Sticky Situations: Key Components That Control Bacterial Surface Attachment

“…However, bacteria grown under high-nutrient conditions either fail to form biofilms or form loose, floc-like structures at the substratum that are easily disrupted with fluid shear (27,31,68,97). Instead, bacteria tend to form biofilms under low-nutrient or starvation conditions (17,27,97,130). For instance, Dewanti and Wong found that Escherichia coli O157:H7 biofilms developed on stainless steel chipped faster and contained a higher number of adherent cells when grown in low-nutrient media than when grown in tryptic soy broth (36).…”

Biopelícula extrarradicular: reporte de un caso clínico

“…Por otra parte, estas infecciones son difícil-mente resueltas por el sistema inmune del hospedero; incluso, dicha respuesta es capaz de ocasionar daños en los tejidos en vecindad a las biopelículas [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27].…”

“…En estas situaciones clínicas, la cirugía apical representa una manera eficaz y efectiva de desorganizar o eliminar a los microorganismos contenidos en estas organizaciones microbianas [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27].…”

Oral Health and Nutrition

“…Dental plaque is a complex environment called a biofilm. Nutrition has both direct and indirect effects on the development and composition of plaque biofilm (Boyd & Maddon, 2003): (i) through a direct supply of nutrients (such as sugar) as substrates for energy, nitrogen or carbon for the bacteria; (ii) by having an effect on the production of metabolic by-products from one organism that provides nutrients for other organisms (Bowden & Li, 1997); (iii) through the production of specific polymers by other bacteria and finally (iv) by altering the environment of the biofilm and thereby influencing bacteria to colonise the biofilm. The interaction between nutritional status and the immune response to the bacterial challenge is an underlying factor in the progression of periodontal disease.…”