Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamers
Biofilms are surface-associated conglomerates of bacteria that are highly resistant to antibiotics. These bacterial communities can cause chronic infections in humans by colonizing, for example, medical implants, heart valves, or lungs. Staphylococcus aureus , a notorious human pathogen, causes some...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2014-01-01
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| Series: | New Journal of Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/16/6/065024 |
| _version_ | 1797751372176687104 |
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| author | Minyoung Kevin Kim Knut Drescher On Shun Pak Bonnie L Bassler Howard A Stone |
| author_facet | Minyoung Kevin Kim Knut Drescher On Shun Pak Bonnie L Bassler Howard A Stone |
| author_sort | Minyoung Kevin Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Biofilms are surface-associated conglomerates of bacteria that are highly resistant to antibiotics. These bacterial communities can cause chronic infections in humans by colonizing, for example, medical implants, heart valves, or lungs. Staphylococcus aureus , a notorious human pathogen, causes some of the most common biofilm-related infections. Despite the clinical importance of S. aureus biofilms, it remains mostly unknown how physical effects, in particular flow, and surface structure influence biofilm dynamics. Here we use model microfluidic systems to investigate how environmental factors, such as surface geometry, surface chemistry, and fluid flow affect biofilm development of S. aureus. We discovered that S. aureus rapidly forms flow-induced, filamentous biofilm streamers, and furthermore if surfaces are coated with human blood plasma, streamers appear within minutes and clog the channels more rapidly than if the channels are uncoated. To understand how biofilm streamer filaments reorient in flows with curved streamlines to bridge the distances between corners, we developed a mathematical model based on resistive force theory of slender filaments. Understanding physical aspects of biofilm formation of S. aureus may lead to new approaches for interrupting biofilm formation of this pathogen. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:47:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5e8b7f8b483c48d39e54eef320ff0674 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1367-2630 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:47:32Z |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Journal of Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-5e8b7f8b483c48d39e54eef320ff06742023-08-08T11:28:48ZengIOP PublishingNew Journal of Physics1367-26302014-01-0116606502410.1088/1367-2630/16/6/065024Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamersMinyoung Kevin Kim0Knut Drescher1On Shun Pak2Bonnie L Bassler3Howard A Stone4Department of Chemistry, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USADepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USADepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USADepartment of Molecular Biology, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USADepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USABiofilms are surface-associated conglomerates of bacteria that are highly resistant to antibiotics. These bacterial communities can cause chronic infections in humans by colonizing, for example, medical implants, heart valves, or lungs. Staphylococcus aureus , a notorious human pathogen, causes some of the most common biofilm-related infections. Despite the clinical importance of S. aureus biofilms, it remains mostly unknown how physical effects, in particular flow, and surface structure influence biofilm dynamics. Here we use model microfluidic systems to investigate how environmental factors, such as surface geometry, surface chemistry, and fluid flow affect biofilm development of S. aureus. We discovered that S. aureus rapidly forms flow-induced, filamentous biofilm streamers, and furthermore if surfaces are coated with human blood plasma, streamers appear within minutes and clog the channels more rapidly than if the channels are uncoated. To understand how biofilm streamer filaments reorient in flows with curved streamlines to bridge the distances between corners, we developed a mathematical model based on resistive force theory of slender filaments. Understanding physical aspects of biofilm formation of S. aureus may lead to new approaches for interrupting biofilm formation of this pathogen.https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/16/6/065024Staphylococcus aureusbiofilmbiofilm streamersflowmicrofluidicsmicrobiology |
| spellingShingle | Minyoung Kevin Kim Knut Drescher On Shun Pak Bonnie L Bassler Howard A Stone Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamers New Journal of Physics Staphylococcus aureus biofilm biofilm streamers flow microfluidics microbiology |
| title | Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamers |
| title_full | Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamers |
| title_fullStr | Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamers |
| title_short | Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamers |
| title_sort | filaments in curved streamlines rapid formation of staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamers |
| topic | Staphylococcus aureus biofilm biofilm streamers flow microfluidics microbiology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/16/6/065024 |
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