Biofilm disruption by an air bubble reveals heterogeneous age-dependent detachment patterns dictated by initial extracellular matrix distribution.

ABSTRACT: Bacteria often adhere to surfaces, where they form communities known as biofilms. Recently, it has been shown that biofilm formation initiates with the microscopically heterogeneous deposition of a skeleton of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) by individual cells crawling on the surface, followed by growth of the biofilm into a surface-covering continuum. Here we report microfluidic experiments with Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms showing that their "hidden" heterogeneity can affect the later dynamics of their disruption. Using controlled air bubbles as a model for mechanical insult, we demonstrate that biofilm disruption is strongly dependent on biofilm age, and that disruption to early-stage biofilms can take the shape of a semi-regular pattern of ~15 µm diameter holes from

SUBMITTER: Jang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5460265 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature