Interspecies biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia

Citation
Kl. Tomlin et al., Interspecies biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia, CAN J MICRO, 47(10), 2001, pp. 949-954
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
Biotecnology & Applied Microbiology",Microbiology
Journal title
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY
ISSN journal
00084166 → ACNP
Volume
47
Issue
10
Year of publication
2001
Pages
949 - 954
Database
ISI
SICI code
0008-4166(200110)47:10<949:IBOPAA>2.0.ZU;2-R
Abstract
The leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) contin ues to be lung infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Co-coloniza tion of the lungs with P. aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia can result in more severe pulmonary disease than P. aeruginosa alone. The interactions b etween P. aeruginosa biofilms and B. cepacia are not yet understood; one po ssible association being that mixed species biofilm formation may be part o f the interspecies relationship. Using the Calgary Biofilm Device (CBD), me mbers of all genomovars of the B. cepacia complex were shown to form biofil ms, including those isolated from CF lungs. Mixed species biofilm formation between CF isolates of P. aeruginosa and B. cepacia was readily achieved u sing the CBD. Oxidation-fermentation lactose agar was adapted as a differen tial agar to monitor mixed biofilm composition. Scanning electron micrograp hs of the biofilms demonstrated that both species readily integrated in clo se association in the biofilm structure. Pseudomonas aeruginosa laboratory strain PAO1, however, inhibited mixed biofilm formation of both CF isolates and environmental strains of the B. cepacia complex. Characterization of t he soluble inhibitor suggested pyocyanin as the active compound.