Laminar flow around corners triggers the formation of biofilm streamers (original) (raw)
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Secondary Flow as a Mechanism for the Formation of Biofilm Streamers
In most environments, such as natural aquatic systems, bacteria are found predominantly in self-organized sessile communities known as biofilms. In the presence of a significant flow, mature multispecies biofilms often develop into long filamentous structures called streamers, which can greatly influence ecosystem processes by increasing transient storage and cycling of nutrients. However, the interplay between hydrodynamic stresses and streamer formation is still unclear. Here, we show that suspended thread-like biofilms steadily develop in zigzag microchannels with different radii of curvature. Numerical simulations of a low-Reynolds-number flow around these corners indicate the presence of a secondary vortical motion whose intensity is related to the bending angle of the turn. We demonstrate that the formation of streamers is directly proportional to the intensity of the secondary flow around the corners. In addition, we show that a model of an elastic filament in a two-dimensional corner flow is able to explain how the streamers can cross fluid streamlines and connect corners located at the opposite sides of the channel.
Influence of flow on the structure of bacterial biofilms
Bacteria attached to surfaces in biofilms are responsible for the contamination of industrial processes and many types of microbial infections and disease. Once established, biofilms are notoriously difficult to eradicate. A more complete understanding of how biofilms form and behave is crucial if we are to predict, and ultimately control, biofilm processes. A major breakthrough in biofilm research came in the early 1990's when confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) showed that biofilms formed complex structures which could facilitate nutrient exchange. We have recently found that biofilms growing in turbulent flow can also be temporally complex. Structures such as cell clusters and ripples can migrate downstream along solid surfaces. Further, biofilm viscoelasticity allows the biofilm to structurally deform when exposed to varying shear stresses.
Drivers of bacterial colonization patterns in stream biofilms
FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2010
Dispersal and colonization are important for the assembly and biodiversity of microbial communities. While emigration as the initial step of dispersal has become increasingly understood in model bacterial biofilms, the drivers of dispersal and colonization in complex biofilms remain elusive. We grew complex biofilms in microcosms from natural surface water in laminar and turbulent flow, and investigated dispersal and colonization patterns of fluorescently labeled cells and microbeads in nascent and mature biofilms. Settling occurred in nonrandom spatial patterns governed by the interplay of local flow patterns and biofilm topography. Settling was higher in treatments with nascent biofilms, with fewer cells remaining in the water column than in treatments with mature biofilms. The flow regime had no effect on settling velocity, even though in mature biofilms the formation of streamers under turbulent flow enhanced particle trapping compared with the laminar flow treatment. Hence, small-scale variations in the flow pattern seemed to be more important than the overall flow regime. Furthermore, spatial analysis of the colonizer patterns suggests that bacteria have moved in the biofilm after settling. Our results show that colonization of biofilms in a model stream environment is a heterogeneous process differently affected by biological and physical factors.
Computational study of the drag and oscillatory movement of biofilm streamers in fast flows
Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2010
Hydrodynamic conditions have a significant impact on the biofilm lifecycle. Not well understood is the fact that biofilms, in return, also affect the flow pattern. A decade ago, it was already shown experimentally that under fast flows, biofilm streamers form and oscillate with large amplitudes. This work is a first attempt to answer the questions on the mechanisms behind the oscillatory movement of the streamers, and whether this movement together with the special streamlined form of the streamers, have both a physical and biological benefit for biofilms. In this study, a state of the art two-dimensional fluid-structure interaction model of biofilm streamers is developed, which implements a transient coupling between the fluid and biofilm mechanics. Hereby, it is clearly shown that formation of a Kármán vortex street behind the streamer body is the main source of the periodic oscillation of the streamers. Additionally it is shown that the formation of streamers reduces the fluid forces which biofilm surface experiences.
The structural role of bacterial eDNA in the formation of biofilm streamers
bioRxiv, 2021
Across diverse habitats, bacteria are mainly found as biofilms, surface-attached communities embedded in a self-secreted matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which enhances bacterial resistance to antimicrobial treatment and mechanical stresses. In the presence of flow and geometric constraints such as corners or constrictions, biofilms take the form of long, suspended threads known as streamers, which bear important consequences in industrial and clinical settings by causing clogging and fouling. The formation of streamers is thought to be driven by the viscoelastic nature of the biofilm matrix. Yet, little is known about the structural composition of streamers and how it affects their mechanical properties. Here, using a microfluidic platform that allows growing and precisely examining biofilm streamers, we show that extracellular DNA (eDNA) constitutes the backbone and is essential for the mechanical stability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa’ s streamers. This finding is...
Effects of Current Velocity on the Nascent Architecture of Stream Microbial Biofilms
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2003
Current velocity affected the architecture and dynamics of natural, multiphyla, and cross-trophic level biofilms from a forested piedmont stream. We monitored the development and activity of biofilms in streamside flumes operated under two flow regimes (slow [0.065 m s −1 ] and fast [0.23 m s −1 ]) by combined confocal laser scanning microscopy with cryosectioning to observe biofilm structure and composition. Biofilm growth started as bacterial microcolonies embedded in extracellular polymeric substances and transformed into ripple-like structures and ultimately conspicuous quasihexagonal networks. These structures were particularly pronounced in biofilms grown under slow current velocities and were characterized by the prominence of pennate diatoms oriented along their long axes to form the hexagons. Microstructural heterogeneity was dynamic, and biofilms that developed under slower velocities were thicker and had larger surface sinuosity and higher areal densities than their count...
The formation of migratory ripples in a mixed species bacterial biofilm growing in turbulent flow
Environmental Microbiology, 1999
Mixed-species bio®lms, consisting of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas uorescens and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, were grown in glass¯ow cells under either laminar or turbulent¯ow. The bio®lms grown in laminar¯ow consisted of roughly circular-shaped microcolonies separated by water channels. In contrast, bio®lm microcolonies grown in turbulent¯ow were elongated in the downstream direction, forming ®lamentous streamers'. Moreover, bio®lms growing in turbulent ow developed extensive patches of ripple-like structures between 9 and 13 days of growth. Using timelapse microscopic imaging, we discovered that the bio®lm ripples migrated downstream. The morphology and the migration velocity of the ripples varied with short-term changes in the bulk liquid¯ow velocity. The ripples had a maximum migration velocity of 800 mm h À1 (2.2´10 À7 m s À1 ) when the liquid¯ow velocity was 0.5 m s À1 (Reynolds number 1800). This work challenges the commonly held assumption that bio®lm structures remain at the same location on a surface until they eventually detach.
Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation ofStaphylococcus aureusbiofilm streamers
New Journal of Physics, 2014
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 in 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 in S. aureus may lead to new approaches for interrupting biofilm formation of this pathogen.
Biofouling, 2010
Biofilm formation is a major factor in the growth and spread of both desirable and undesirable bacteria as well as in fouling and corrosion. In order to simulate biofilm formation in industrial settings a flow cell system coupled to a recirculating tank was used to study the effect of a high (550 mg glucose l−1) and a low (150 mg glucose l−1) nutrient concentration on the relative growth of planktonic and attached biofilm cells of Escherichia coli JM109(DE3). Biofilms were obtained under turbulent flow (a Reynolds number of 6000) and the hydrodynamic conditions of the flow cell were simulated by using computational fluid dynamics. Under these conditions, the flow cell was subjected to wall shear stresses of 0.6 Pa and an average flow velocity of 0.4 m s−1 was reached. The system was validated by studying flow development on the flow cell and the applicability of chemostat model assumptions. Full development of the flow was assessed by analysis of velocity profiles and by monitoring the maximum and average wall shear stresses. The validity of the chemostat model assumptions was performed through residence time analysis and identification of biofilm forming areas. These latter results were obtained through wall shear stress analysis of the system and also by assessment of the free energy of interaction between E. coli and the surfaces. The results show that when the system was fed with a high nutrient concentration, planktonic cell growth was favored. Additionally, the results confirm that biofilms adapt their architecture in order to cope with the hydrodynamic conditions and nutrient availability. These results suggest that until a certain thickness was reached nutrient availability dictated biofilm architecture but when that critical thickness was exceeded mechanical resistance to shear stress (ie biofilm cohesion) became more important.
Liquid flow in biofilm systems
Applied and environmental microbiology, 1994
A model biofilm consisting of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Klebsiella pneumoniae was developed to study the relationships between structural heterogeneity and hydrodynamics. Local fluid velocity in the biofilm system was measured by a noninvasive method of particle image velocimetry, using confocal scanning laser microscopy. Velocity profiles were measured in conduit and porous medium reactors in the presence and absence of biofilm. Liquid flow was observed within biofilm channels; simultaneous imaging of the biofilm allowed the liquid velocity to be related to the physical structure of the biofilm.