Non-surface Attached Bacterial Aggregates: A Ubiquitous Third Lifestyle
Bacteria are now generally believed to adopt two main lifestyles: planktonic individuals, or surface-attached biofilms. However, in recent years medical microbiologists started to stress that suspended bacterial aggregates are a major form of bacterial communities in chronic infection sites. Despite...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-12-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.557035/full |
| _version_ | 1818432704537952256 |
|---|---|
| author | Yu-Ming Cai Yu-Ming Cai |
| author_facet | Yu-Ming Cai Yu-Ming Cai |
| author_sort | Yu-Ming Cai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bacteria are now generally believed to adopt two main lifestyles: planktonic individuals, or surface-attached biofilms. However, in recent years medical microbiologists started to stress that suspended bacterial aggregates are a major form of bacterial communities in chronic infection sites. Despite sharing many similarities with surface-attached biofilms and are thus generally defined as biofilm-like aggregates, these non-attached clumps of cells in vivo show much smaller sizes and different formation mechanisms. Furthermore, ex vivo clinical isolates were frequently reported to be less attached to abiotic surfaces when compared to standard type strains. While this third lifestyle is starting to draw heavy attention in clinical studies, it has a long history in natural and environmental sciences. For example, marine gel particles formed by bacteria attachment to phytoplankton exopolymers have been well documented in oceans; large river and lake snows loaded with bacterial aggregates are frequently found in freshwater systems; multispecies bacterial “flocs” have long been used in wastewater treatment. This review focuses on non-attached aggregates found in a variety of natural and clinical settings, as well as some recent technical developments facilitating aggregate research. The aim is to summarise the characteristics of different types of bacterial aggregates, bridging the knowledge gap, provoking new perspectives for researchers from different fields, and highlighting the importance of more research input in this third lifestyle of bacteria closely relevant to our daily life. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T16:09:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cb4c3915c3b946229c4f5d651fb3a39d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T16:09:26Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-cb4c3915c3b946229c4f5d651fb3a39d2022-12-21T22:55:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2020-12-011110.3389/fmicb.2020.557035557035Non-surface Attached Bacterial Aggregates: A Ubiquitous Third LifestyleYu-Ming Cai0Yu-Ming Cai1National Biofilms Innovation Centre, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United KingdomBiological Sciences, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United KingdomBacteria are now generally believed to adopt two main lifestyles: planktonic individuals, or surface-attached biofilms. However, in recent years medical microbiologists started to stress that suspended bacterial aggregates are a major form of bacterial communities in chronic infection sites. Despite sharing many similarities with surface-attached biofilms and are thus generally defined as biofilm-like aggregates, these non-attached clumps of cells in vivo show much smaller sizes and different formation mechanisms. Furthermore, ex vivo clinical isolates were frequently reported to be less attached to abiotic surfaces when compared to standard type strains. While this third lifestyle is starting to draw heavy attention in clinical studies, it has a long history in natural and environmental sciences. For example, marine gel particles formed by bacteria attachment to phytoplankton exopolymers have been well documented in oceans; large river and lake snows loaded with bacterial aggregates are frequently found in freshwater systems; multispecies bacterial “flocs” have long been used in wastewater treatment. This review focuses on non-attached aggregates found in a variety of natural and clinical settings, as well as some recent technical developments facilitating aggregate research. The aim is to summarise the characteristics of different types of bacterial aggregates, bridging the knowledge gap, provoking new perspectives for researchers from different fields, and highlighting the importance of more research input in this third lifestyle of bacteria closely relevant to our daily life.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.557035/fullbacterial aggregatesmarine gel particlesmarine/river/lake snowactivated sludgeschronic infectionin vitro models |
| spellingShingle | Yu-Ming Cai Yu-Ming Cai Non-surface Attached Bacterial Aggregates: A Ubiquitous Third Lifestyle Frontiers in Microbiology bacterial aggregates marine gel particles marine/river/lake snow activated sludges chronic infection in vitro models |
| title | Non-surface Attached Bacterial Aggregates: A Ubiquitous Third Lifestyle |
| title_full | Non-surface Attached Bacterial Aggregates: A Ubiquitous Third Lifestyle |
| title_fullStr | Non-surface Attached Bacterial Aggregates: A Ubiquitous Third Lifestyle |
| title_full_unstemmed | Non-surface Attached Bacterial Aggregates: A Ubiquitous Third Lifestyle |
| title_short | Non-surface Attached Bacterial Aggregates: A Ubiquitous Third Lifestyle |
| title_sort | non surface attached bacterial aggregates a ubiquitous third lifestyle |
| topic | bacterial aggregates marine gel particles marine/river/lake snow activated sludges chronic infection in vitro models |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.557035/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yumingcai nonsurfaceattachedbacterialaggregatesaubiquitousthirdlifestyle AT yumingcai nonsurfaceattachedbacterialaggregatesaubiquitousthirdlifestyle |