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Statistical quantification of detachment rates and size distributions of cell clumps from wild-type (PAO1) and cell signaling mutant (JP1) Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

Statistical quantification of detachment rates and size distributions of cell clumps from wild-type (PAO1) and cell signaling mutant (JP1) Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms
Statistical quantification of detachment rates and size distributions of cell clumps from wild-type (PAO1) and cell signaling mutant (JP1) Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms
The detachment of cells from bacterial biofilms is an important, yet poorly understood and largely unquantified phenomenon. Detached cell clumps from medical devices may form microemboli and lead to metastasis, especially if they are resistant to host defenses and antibiotics. In manufacturing plants detached clumps entering a process stream decrease product quality. Two strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a wild type (PAO1) and a cell signaling mutant (JP1), were studied to (i) quantify and model detachment patterns and (ii) determine the influence of cell signaling on detachment. We collected effluent from a biofilm flowthrough reactor and determined the size distribution for cell detachment events by microscopic examination and image analysis. The two strains were similar in terms of both biofilm structure and detachment patterns. Most of the detachment events were single-cell events; however, multiple-cell detachment events contributed a large fraction of the total detached cells. The rates at which events containing multiple cells detached from the biofilm were estimated by fitting a statistical model to the size distribution data. For events consisting of at least 1,000 cells, the estimated rates were 4.5 events mm(-2) min(-1) for PAO1 and 4.3 events mm(-2) min(-1) for JP1. These rates may be significant when they are scaled up to the total area of a real biofilm-contaminated medical device surface and to the hours or days of patient exposure.
0099-2240
5847-5852
Wilson, Suzanne
7e50f2dc-d19f-41a4-b951-72e080f0fc4e
Hamilton, Martin A.
59107338-ab43-4f12-84bb-39d67df2df3c
Hamilton, Gordon C.
5a2707a3-91e2-4c43-8a72-0f32b7e8941d
Schumann, Margo R.
2de763de-7042-42c6-b6b0-818fb2c73cb2
Stoodley, Paul
08614665-92a9-4466-806e-20c6daeb483f
Wilson, Suzanne
7e50f2dc-d19f-41a4-b951-72e080f0fc4e
Hamilton, Martin A.
59107338-ab43-4f12-84bb-39d67df2df3c
Hamilton, Gordon C.
5a2707a3-91e2-4c43-8a72-0f32b7e8941d
Schumann, Margo R.
2de763de-7042-42c6-b6b0-818fb2c73cb2
Stoodley, Paul
08614665-92a9-4466-806e-20c6daeb483f

Wilson, Suzanne, Hamilton, Martin A., Hamilton, Gordon C., Schumann, Margo R. and Stoodley, Paul (2004) Statistical quantification of detachment rates and size distributions of cell clumps from wild-type (PAO1) and cell signaling mutant (JP1) Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 70 (10), 5847-5852.

Record type: Article

Abstract

The detachment of cells from bacterial biofilms is an important, yet poorly understood and largely unquantified phenomenon. Detached cell clumps from medical devices may form microemboli and lead to metastasis, especially if they are resistant to host defenses and antibiotics. In manufacturing plants detached clumps entering a process stream decrease product quality. Two strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a wild type (PAO1) and a cell signaling mutant (JP1), were studied to (i) quantify and model detachment patterns and (ii) determine the influence of cell signaling on detachment. We collected effluent from a biofilm flowthrough reactor and determined the size distribution for cell detachment events by microscopic examination and image analysis. The two strains were similar in terms of both biofilm structure and detachment patterns. Most of the detachment events were single-cell events; however, multiple-cell detachment events contributed a large fraction of the total detached cells. The rates at which events containing multiple cells detached from the biofilm were estimated by fitting a statistical model to the size distribution data. For events consisting of at least 1,000 cells, the estimated rates were 4.5 events mm(-2) min(-1) for PAO1 and 4.3 events mm(-2) min(-1) for JP1. These rates may be significant when they are scaled up to the total area of a real biofilm-contaminated medical device surface and to the hours or days of patient exposure.

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More information

Published date: October 2004
Organisations: Engineering Mats & Surface Engineerg Gp

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 157117
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/157117
ISSN: 0099-2240
PURE UUID: 4490b588-4418-4792-a7a1-4506c4926da3
ORCID for Paul Stoodley: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6069-273X

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Date deposited: 09 Jun 2010 09:19
Last modified: 09 Jan 2022 03:32

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Contributors

Author: Suzanne Wilson
Author: Martin A. Hamilton
Author: Gordon C. Hamilton
Author: Margo R. Schumann
Author: Paul Stoodley ORCID iD

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