Search results for " biofilm"
showing 10 items of 109 documents
Nitrogen removal from on-site treated anaerobic effluents using intermittently aerated moving bed biofilm reactors at low temperatures
2005
Abstract On-site post-treatment of anaerobically pre-treated dairy parlour wastewater (DPWW e ; 10 °C) and mixture of kitchen waste and black water (BWKW e ; 20 °C) was studied in moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBR). The focus was on removal of nitrogen and of residual chemical oxygen demand (COD). Moreover, the effect of intermittent aeration and continuous vs. sequencing batch operation was studied. All MBBRs removed 50–60% of nitrogen and 40–70% of total COD (COD t ). Complete nitrification was achieved, but denitrification was restricted by lack of carbon. Nitrogen removal was achieved in a single reactor by applying intermittent aeration. Continuous and sequencing batch operation provid…
Innovative, ecofriendly biosorbent-biodegrading biofilms for bioremediation of oil- contaminated water.
2019
Immobilization of microorganisms capable of degrading specific contaminants significantly promotes bioremediation processes. In this study, innovative and ecofriendly biosorbent-biodegrading biofilms have been developed in order to remediate oil-contaminated water. This was achieved by immobilizing hydrocarbon-degrading gammaproteobacteria and actinobacteria on biodegradable oil-adsorbing carriers, based on polylactic acid and polycaprolactone electrospun membranes. High capacities for adhesion and proliferation of bacterial cells were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The bioremediation efficiency of the systems, tested on crude oil and quantified by gas chromatography, showed that…
Resource availability and competition shape the evolution of survival and growth ability in a bacterial community
2013
Resource availability is one of the main factors determining the ecological dynamics of populations or species. Fluctuations in resource availability can increase or decrease the intensity of resource competition. Resource availability and competition can also cause evolutionary changes in life-history traits. We studied how community structure and resource fluctuations affect the evolution of fitness related traits using a two-species bacterial model system. Replicated populations of Serratia marcescens (copiotroph) and Novosophingobium capsulatum (oligotroph) were reared alone or together in environments with intergenerational, pulsed resource renewal. The comparison of ancestral and evol…
Intermittent Aeration in a Hybrid Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor for Carbon and Nutrient Biological Removal
2020
The paper presents an experimental study on a lab scale hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor with intermittent aeration. Specifically, a comparison between two different operating conditions was analyzed: continuous and intermittent aeration. Both continuous and intermittent aeration were monitored and compared in order to get the best operational conditions. The intermittent aeration campaign was sub-divided in three phases with different duration of alternation of aerobic and anoxic times and organic and nitrogen loading rates. The efficiency of N-removal improved by 70% during the intermittent aeration. The best condition was observed with 40 min of aeration and 20 min of no-aeration, an or…
Candida blood stream infections observed between 2011 and 2016 in a large Italian University Hospital: A time-based retrospective analysis on epidemi…
2019
Candida bloodstream infection (BSI) represents a growing infective problem frequently associated to biofilm production due to the utilization of intravascular devices. Candida species distribution (n = 612 strains), their biofilm production and hospital antifungal drug consumption were evaluated in different wards of a tertiary care academic hospital in Italy during the years 2011–2016. In the considered time window, an increasing number of Candida BSI (p = 0.005) and of biofilm producing strains were observed (p<0.0001). Although C. albicans was the species more frequently isolated in BSI with a major biofilm production, an increased involvement of non-albicans species was reported, partic…
Antibacterial properties and reduction of MRSA biofilm with a dressing combining polyabsorbent fibres and a silver matrix
2016
Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of a wound dressing which combines polyacrylate fibres and a silver lipido-colloid matrix (UrgoClean Ag, silver polyabsorbent dressing), against biofilm of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Method: Samples of silver polyabsorbent dressing and the neutral form of this dressing (UrgoClean) were applied to biofilms of MRSA formed on a collagen I-coated surface, cultured for 24 hours. Different exposure times were tested (1, 2, 4 and 7 days) without dressing change. The biofilm reduction was quantified by using culture methods and by confocal laser scanning microscopy experiments. Results: The applicatio…
Biofilms of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus fermentum: Effect on stress responses, antagonistic effects on pathogen growth and immunomodula…
2016
IF 3.682; International audience; Few studies have extensively investigated probiotic functions associated with biofilms. Here, we show that strains of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus fermentum are able to grow as biofilm on abiotic surfaces, but the biomass density differs between strains. We performed microtiter plate biofilm assays under growth conditions mimicking to the gastrointestinal environment. Osmolarity and low concentrations of bile significantly enhanced Lactobacillus spatial organization. Two L. plantarum strains were able to form biofilms under high concentrations of bile and mucus. We used the agar well-diffusion method to show that supernatants from all Lactobaci…
Development of an in vitro system to study oral biofilms in real time through impedance technology: validation and potential applications
2019
ABSTRACT Background and objectives: We have developed a standardized, easy-to-use in vitro model to study single- and multiple-species oral biofilms in real time through impedance technology, which elucidates the kinetics of biofilm formation in 96-well plates, without the requirement for any further manipulation. Design and Results: Using this system, biofilms of Streptococcus mutans appear to be sugar-dependent and highly resistant to amoxicilin, an antibiotic to which this oral pathogen is highly sensitive in a planktonic state. Saliva, tongue and dental plaque samples were also used as inocula to form multiple-species biofilms. DNA isolation and Illumina sequencing of the biofilms showe…
Flor Yeast Diversity and Dynamics in Biologically Aged Wines
2018
International audience; Wine biological aging is characterized by the development of yeast strains that form a biofilm on the wine surface after alcoholic fermentation. These yeasts, known as flor yeasts, form a velum that protects the wine from oxidation during aging. Thirty-nine velums aged from 1 to 6 years were sampled from "Vin jaune" from two different cellars. We show for the first time that these velums possess various aspects in term of color and surface aspects. Surprisingly, the heterogeneous velums are mostly composed of one species, S. cerevisiae. Scanning electron microscope observations of these velums revealed unprecedented biofilm structures and various yeast morphologies f…
Formation and Characterization of Early Bacterial Biofilms on Different Wood Typologies Applied in Dairy Production
2018
ABSTRACT The main hypothesis of this work was that Sicilian forestry resources are suitable for the production of equipment to be used in cheese making and indigenous milk lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are able to develop stable biofilms providing starter and nonstarter cultures necessary for curd fermentation and cheese ripening, respectively. Hence, the present work was carried out with deproteinized whey to evaluate LAB biofilm formation on different woods derived from tree species grown in Sicily. Microbiological and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed minimal differences in microbial levels and compositions for the neoformed biofilms. The specific investigation of Salmonella spp.…