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Fungal colonization and biodeterioration of plasticized polyvinyl chloride

Fungal colonization and biodeterioration of plasticized polyvinyl chloride
Fungal colonization and biodeterioration of plasticized polyvinyl chloride
Significant substratum damage can occur when plasticized PVC (pPVC) is colonized by microorganisms. We investigated microbial colonization of pPVC in an in situ, longitudinal study. Pieces of pPVC containing the plasticizers dioctyl phthalate and dioctyl adipate (DOA) were exposed to the atmosphere for up to 2 years. Fungal and bacterial populations were quantified, and colonizing fungi were identified by rRNA gene sequencing and morphological characteristics. Aureobasidium pullulans was the principal colonizing fungus, establishing itself on the pPVC between 25 and 40 weeks of exposure. A group of yeasts and yeast-like fungi, including Rhodotorula aurantiaca and Kluyveromyces spp., established themselves on the pPVC much later (after 80 weeks of exposure). Numerically, these organisms dominated A. pullulans after 95 weeks, with a mean viable count +/- standard error of 1,000 +/- 200 yeast CFU cm(-2), compared to 390 +/- 50 A. pullulans CFU cm(-2). No bacterial colonization was observed. We also used in vitro tests to characterize the deteriogenic properties of fungi isolated from the pPVC. All strains of A. pullulans tested could grow with the intact pPVC formulation as the sole source of carbon, degrade the plasticizer DOA, produce extracellular esterase, and cause weight loss of the substratum during growth in vitro. In contrast, several yeast isolates could not grow on pPVC or degrade DOA. These results suggest that microbial succession may occur during the colonization of pPVC and that A. pullulans is critical to the establishment of a microbial community on pPVC.
0099-2240
3194-3200
Webb, Jeremy S.
ec0a5c4e-86cc-4ae9-b390-7298f5d65f8d
Nixon, Marianne
a23d506b-857a-46eb-a2c7-1a16dc55c3b0
Eastwood, Ian M.
1739d9b3-167e-4dc6-ac1c-a76f49394cdb
Greenhalgh, Malcolm
853e60bb-ef2f-48e7-acfa-89cb849d2353
Robson, Geoffrey D.
5f4cb57b-e1a9-41d0-ab9e-18af26960e08
Handley, Pauline S.
efed1ce3-40f2-42a9-b00a-c7254cff373d
Webb, Jeremy S.
ec0a5c4e-86cc-4ae9-b390-7298f5d65f8d
Nixon, Marianne
a23d506b-857a-46eb-a2c7-1a16dc55c3b0
Eastwood, Ian M.
1739d9b3-167e-4dc6-ac1c-a76f49394cdb
Greenhalgh, Malcolm
853e60bb-ef2f-48e7-acfa-89cb849d2353
Robson, Geoffrey D.
5f4cb57b-e1a9-41d0-ab9e-18af26960e08
Handley, Pauline S.
efed1ce3-40f2-42a9-b00a-c7254cff373d

Webb, Jeremy S., Nixon, Marianne, Eastwood, Ian M., Greenhalgh, Malcolm, Robson, Geoffrey D. and Handley, Pauline S. (2000) Fungal colonization and biodeterioration of plasticized polyvinyl chloride. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 66 (8), 3194-3200. (doi:10.1128/AEM.66.8.3194-3200.2000). (PMID:3707118)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Significant substratum damage can occur when plasticized PVC (pPVC) is colonized by microorganisms. We investigated microbial colonization of pPVC in an in situ, longitudinal study. Pieces of pPVC containing the plasticizers dioctyl phthalate and dioctyl adipate (DOA) were exposed to the atmosphere for up to 2 years. Fungal and bacterial populations were quantified, and colonizing fungi were identified by rRNA gene sequencing and morphological characteristics. Aureobasidium pullulans was the principal colonizing fungus, establishing itself on the pPVC between 25 and 40 weeks of exposure. A group of yeasts and yeast-like fungi, including Rhodotorula aurantiaca and Kluyveromyces spp., established themselves on the pPVC much later (after 80 weeks of exposure). Numerically, these organisms dominated A. pullulans after 95 weeks, with a mean viable count +/- standard error of 1,000 +/- 200 yeast CFU cm(-2), compared to 390 +/- 50 A. pullulans CFU cm(-2). No bacterial colonization was observed. We also used in vitro tests to characterize the deteriogenic properties of fungi isolated from the pPVC. All strains of A. pullulans tested could grow with the intact pPVC formulation as the sole source of carbon, degrade the plasticizer DOA, produce extracellular esterase, and cause weight loss of the substratum during growth in vitro. In contrast, several yeast isolates could not grow on pPVC or degrade DOA. These results suggest that microbial succession may occur during the colonization of pPVC and that A. pullulans is critical to the establishment of a microbial community on pPVC.

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Published date: August 2000

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 186841
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/186841
ISSN: 0099-2240
PURE UUID: 4da5ce33-0292-4dfc-b839-aa36cc1ebfe4
ORCID for Jeremy S. Webb: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2068-8589

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Date deposited: 20 May 2011 14:10
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:26

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Contributors

Author: Jeremy S. Webb ORCID iD
Author: Marianne Nixon
Author: Ian M. Eastwood
Author: Malcolm Greenhalgh
Author: Geoffrey D. Robson
Author: Pauline S. Handley

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