The influence of the chemical composition of drinking water on cuprosolvency by biofilm bacteria

Critchley, M.M.; Cromar, Nancy; McClure, N.; Fallowfield, Howard

doi:10.1046/j.1365-2672.2003.01857.x

Cited by 41 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(20 reference statements)

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“…Sphingomonads are ubiquitous in freshwaters, wastewater and marine environments (Balkwill et al, 2003;White et al, 1995) and are well known for their ability to induce corrosion on copper tubing used in plumbing systems, releasing high concentrations of Cu(II) to the water running through the systems (Balkwill et al, 2003;Critchley et al, 2003Critchley et al, , 2004. Sphingomonads have been also identified as major populations in biofilms formed in naturally nickelpolluted river water (Lawrence et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dominance of sphingomonads in a copper-exposed biofilm community for groundwater treatment

et al. 2007

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The structure, biological activity and microbial biodiversity of a biofilm used for the removal of copper from groundwater were studied and compared with those of a biofilm grown under copper-free conditions. A laboratory-scale submerged fixed biofilter was fed with groundwater (2.3 l h "1 ) artificially polluted with Cu(II) (15 mg l "1 ) and amended with sucrose (150 mg l "1 ) as carbon source. Between 73 and 90 % of the Cu(II) was removed from water during long-term operation (over 200 days). The biofilm was a complex ecosystem, consisting of eukaryotic and prokaryotic micro-organisms. Scanning electron microscopy revealed marked structural changes in the biofilm induced by Cu(II), compared to the biofilm grown in absence of the heavy metal. Analysis of cell-bound extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) demonstrated a significant modification of the composition of cell envelopes in response to Cu(II). Transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) showed that copper bioaccumulated in the EPS matrix by becoming bound to phosphates and/or silicates, whereas copper accumulated only intracytoplasmically in cells of eukaryotic microbes. Cu(II) also decreased sucrose consumption, ATP content and alkaline phosphatase activity of the biofilm. A detailed study of the bacterial community composition was conducted by 16S rRNA-based temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) profiling, which showed spatial and temporal stability of the species diversity of copper-exposed biofilms during biofilter operation. PCR reamplification and sequencing of 14 TGGE bands showed the prevalence of alphaproteobacteria, with most sequences (78 %) affiliated to the Sphingomonadaceae. The major cultivable colony type in plate counts of the copper-exposed biofilm was also identified as that of Sphingomonas sp. These data confirm a major role of these organisms in the composition of the Cu(II)-removing community. INTRODUCTIONCopper is an essential trace element for all species studied to date, including humans (Fraga, 2005). However, a large excess intake of Cu(II) in drinking water can cause nausea, gastric irritation and vomiting, while long-term copper intoxication generates liver disease and severe neurological defects in humans (Hotz et al., 2003;Uriu-Adams & Keen, 2005). Chronic ingestion of drinking water with high Cu(II) concentrations (over 3 mg l 21 ) is thus a potential health risk, especially for susceptible populations like children ( Abbreviations: DGGE, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis; EDX, energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis; EPS, extracellular polymeric substances; LOI, loss on ignition; SEM, scanning electron microscopy; TEM, transmission electron microscopy; TGGE, temperature gradient gel electrophoresis; UPGMA, unweighted pair grouping with arithmetic averages. input in freshwaters is generated from a number of anthropogenic activities (Cameron, 1992), where these ions sequentially accumulate in sediments, bacteria, tubicid worms and fish, followed by uptake by humans thro...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dominance of sphingomonads in a copper-exposed biofilm community for groundwater treatment

et al. 2007

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“…Biofilms in copper plumbing systems may increase the concentration of soluble copper (cuprosolvency) in drinking water (66). A concentration of 2 mg/liter of copper in water has been associated with gastrointestinal distress (266).…”

Section: Molecular Mechanisms Involved In Pathogenesis Biofilmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: an Emerging Global Opportunistic Pathogen

2012

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SUMMARY Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging multidrug-resistant global opportunistic pathogen. The increasing incidence of nosocomial and community-acquired S. maltophilia infections is of particular concern for immunocompromised individuals, as this bacterial pathogen is associated with a significant fatality/case ratio. S. maltophilia is an environmental bacterium found in aqueous habitats, including plant rhizospheres, animals, foods, and water sources. Infections of S. maltophilia can occur in a range of organs and tissues; the organism is commonly found in respiratory tract infections. This review summarizes the current literature and presents S. maltophilia as an organism with various molecular mechanisms used for colonization and infection. S. maltophilia can be recovered from polymicrobial infections, most notably from the respiratory tract of cystic fibrosis patients, as a cocolonizer with Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Recent evidence of cell-cell communication between these pathogens has implications for the development of novel pharmacological therapies. Animal models of S. maltophilia infection have provided useful information about the type of host immune response induced by this opportunistic pathogen. Current and emerging treatments for patients infected with S. maltophilia are discussed.

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“…In a similar study, heterotrophic bacteria were isolated from biofilms in copper plumbing, which included a wide variety of organisms. 10 Aeromonas species are implicated in gastroenteritis and are generally considered to be waterborne pathogens 29 while Pseudomonas species are opportunistic pathogens that cause nosocomial infections in susceptible patients 30 . Moreover, it is very difficult to eradicate Pseudomonas species because of their high intrinsic resistance to a variety of antibiotics, including β-lactams, aminoglycosides and fluroquinolones.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…that may increase the health risks associated with the consumption of water from these sources. 10 Different materials -such as cast iron galvanised steel, stainless steel, copper and polyethylene -have been used to manufacture water distribution pipes and these materials favour biofilm formation in the water distribution systems. 7,11,12 Differences in the pipe materials greatly favour the survival of different bacterial species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biofilm formation in surface and drinking water distribution systems in Mafikeng, South Africa

2014

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Poor quality source water and poorly treated reused wastewater may result in poor quality drinking water that has a higher potential to form biofilms. A biofilm is a group of microorganisms which adhere to a surface. We investigated biofilm growth in the drinking water distribution systems in the Mafikeng area, in the North- West Province of South Africa. Analysis was conducted to determine the presence of faecal coliforms, total coliforms, Pseudomonas spp. and Aeromonas spp. in the biofilms. Biofilms were grown on a device that contained copper and galvanised steel coupons. A mini tap filter – a point-of-use treatment device which can be used at a single faucet – was also used to collect samples. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that multi-species biofilms developed on all the coupons as well as on the point-of-use filters. Galvanised steel and carbon filters had the highest density of biofilm. Total coliforms, faecal coliforms and Pseudomonas spp. were isolated from raw water biofilm coupons only. Aeromonas spp. and Pseudomonas spp. were isolated from filters. The susceptibility of selected isolates was tested against 11 antibiotics of clinical interest. The most prevalent antibiotic resistance phenotype observed was KF-AP-C-E-OT-K-TM-A. The presence of virulence genes was determined using the polymerase chain reaction. These results indicate that bacteria present in the water have the ability to colonise as biofilms and drinking water biofilms may be a reservoir for opportunistic bacteria including Pseudomonas and Aeromonas species.

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The influence of the chemical composition of drinking water on cuprosolvency by biofilm bacteria

Cited by 41 publications

References 15 publications

Dominance of sphingomonads in a copper-exposed biofilm community for groundwater treatment

Dominance of sphingomonads in a copper-exposed biofilm community for groundwater treatment

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: an Emerging Global Opportunistic Pathogen

Biofilm formation in surface and drinking water distribution systems in Mafikeng, South Africa

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