E. coli biofilm formation and its susceptibility towards T4 bacteriophages studied in a continuously operating mixing – tubular bioreactor system

Lisac, Ana (author), Birsa, Elfi (author), Podgornik, Aleš (author)

A system consisting of a connected mixed and tubular bioreactor was designed to study bacterial biofilm formation and the effect of its exposure to bacteriophages under different experimental conditions. The bacterial biofilm inside silicone tubular bioreactor was formed during the continuous pumping of bacterial cells at a constant physiological state for 2 h and subsequent washing with a buffer for 24 h. Monitoring bacterial and bacteriophage concentration along the tubular bioreactor was performed via a piercing method. The presence of biofilm and planktonic cells was demonstrated by combining the piercing method, measurement of planktonic cell concentration at the tubular bioreactor outlet, and optical microscopy. The planktonic cell formation rate was found to be 8.95 × 10$^{−3}$ h$^{−1}$ and increased approximately four-fold (4×) after biofilm exposure to an LB medium. Exposure of bacterial biofilm to bacteriophages in the LB medium resulted in a rapid decrease of biofilm and planktonic cell concentration, to below the detection limit within < 2 h. When bacteriophages were supplied in the buffer, only a moderate decrease in the concentration of both bacterial cell types was observed. After biofilm washing with buffer to remove unadsorbed bacteriophages, its exposure to the LB medium (without bacteriophages) resulted in a rapid decrease in bacterial concentration: again below the detection limit in < 2 h.

• Language: English
• Keywords: microbial biofilm, continuous tubular bioreactor, bacteriophage interaction, bacteriophage T4
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 2450-2463
• Numbering: Vol. 15, iss. 9
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-145559
• UDC: 602.3:578.347
• ISSN on article: 1751-7915
• DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14079
• COBISS.SI-ID: 110219011
• Publication date in RUL: 21.04.2023

LISAC, Ana, BIRSA, Elfi and PODGORNIK, Aleš, 2022, E. coli biofilm formation and its susceptibility towards T4 bacteriophages studied in a continuously operating mixing – tubular bioreactor system. Microbial biotechnology [online]. 2022. Vol. 15, no. 9, p. 2450–2463. [Accessed 8 April 2025]. DOI 10.1111/1751-7915.14079. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=145559

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Microbial biotechnology
• Shortened title: Microb. biotechnol.
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• ISSN: 1751-7915
• COBISS.SI-ID: 14597398

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: bakterijski biofilm, kontinuirni cevni bioreaktor, bakteriofagna interakcija, E. coli, bakteriofag T4