scholarly journals Temperature Effect on Listeria Monocytogenes Planktonic Growth and Biofilm-Forming Ability

Author(s):  
Joana Catarina Andrade ◽  
◽  
Rita Bernardo ◽  
António Salvador Barreto ◽  
Telmo Nunes ◽  
...  

Listeria Monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen with the capacity to grow at low temperatures and the ability to form biofilms. These features are particularly significant to food business operators producing readyto-eat foods with a long refrigerated shelf-life not undergoing any listericidal treatment before consumption. Objectives: This work aims to assess the temperature effect on L. monocytogenes growth in planktonic suspension and in mono-species biofilms. Methods and results: Isothermal planktonic growth at 12o C and 37o C was assayed using viable cell counts and optical density measurements that revealed a strong positive correlation, confirming the reliability of combining both methods to estimate L. monocytogenes concentration. Experimental data were then fitted to Baranyi and Roberts primary predictive model and the estimated growth parameters confirmed that μmax at 37o C (0.375 ± 0.072 log Cfu/ ml/h) was higher than at 120 C (0.054 ± 0.001 log Cfu/ml/h), with identical L. monocytogenes final concentrations which emphasizes its ability to grow at refrigerated temperatures. Experimental results from the isothermal growth assay and ComBase Predictor growth model were similar, with slightly higher estimated μmax (37o C: 0.480 log Cfu/ml/h; 12o C: 0.068 log Cfu/ml/h) in the predictor growth model. The studied strains demonstrated biofilm-forming ability at 12o C, 20o C and 300 C after 5 days of growth. No significant differences in biofilm formation at different temperatures were detected considering viable cell counts values, but when using crystal violet staining optical density results significant differences were found, with the highest formation occurring at 30ºC. A positive strong correlation was found between viable cell counts and crystal violet staining optical density results. In fact, both methods complement each other, because while viable cell counts measures viable cells, crystal violet staining optical density considers total biomass (viable and non-viable cells and extracellular matrix components). Nevertheless, in this work all L. monocytogenes strains revealed to be weak biofilm producers. Conclusion: Overall, this studys results contribute with important initial information on L. monocytogenes growth and biofilm formation to further assist predictive growth modeling in food matrices and environments, also enabling subsequent quantitative microbial risk assessment, to improve pathogen’s control.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yosi Farkash ◽  
Mark Feldman ◽  
Isaac Ginsburg ◽  
Doron Steinberg ◽  
Miriam Shalish

Candida albicans (C. albicans) is the most prevalent opportunistic human pathogenic fungus and can cause mucosal membrane infections and invade the blood. In the oral cavity, it can ferment dietary sugars, produce organic acids and therefore has a role in caries development. In this study, we examined whether the polyphenol rich extractions Polyphenon from green tea (PPFGT) and Padma Hepaten (PH) can inhibit the caries-inducing properties of C. albicans. Biofilms of C. albicans were grown in the presence of PPFGT and PH. Formation of biofilms was tested spectrophotometrically after crystal violet staining. Exopolysaccharides (EPS) secretion was quantified using confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM). Treated C. albicans morphology was demonstrated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Expression of virulence-related genes was tested using qRT-PCR. Development of biofilm was also tested on an orthodontic surface (Essix) to assess biofilm inhibition ability on such appliances. Both PPFGT and PH dose-dependently inhibited biofilm formation, with no inhibition on planktonic growth. The strongest inhibition was obtained using the combination of the substances. Crystal violet staining showed a significant reduction of 45% in biofilm formation using a concentration of 2.5mg/ml PPFGT and 0.16mg/ml PH. A concentration of 1.25 mg/ml PPFGT and 0.16 mg/ml PH inhibited candidal growth by 88% and EPS secretion by 74% according to CSLM. A reduction in biofilm formation and in the transition from yeast to hyphal morphotype was observed using SEM. A strong reduction was found in the expression of hwp1, eap1, and als3 virulence associated genes. These results demonstrate the inhibitory effect of natural PPFGT polyphenolic extraction on C. albicans biofilm formation and EPS secretion, alone and together with PH. In an era of increased drug resistance, the use of phytomedicine to constrain biofilm development, without killing host cells, may pave the way to a novel therapeutic concept, especially in children as orthodontic patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Martinez ◽  
Eric Déziel

Optical density (OD) measurement is the standard method used in microbiology for estimating bacterial concentrations in cultures. However, most studies do not compare these measurements with viable cell counts and assume that they reflect the real cell concentration. Burkholderia thailandensis was recently identified as a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) producer. PHA biosynthesis seems to be coded by an orthologue of the Cupriavidus necator phaC gene. When growing cultures of wild-type strain E264 and an isogenic phaC mutant, we noted a difference in their OD600 values, although viable cell counts indicated similar growth. Investigating the cellular morphologies of both strains, we found that under our conditions the wild-type strain was full of PHA granules, deforming the cells, while the mutant contained no granules. These factors apparently affected the light scattering, making the OD600 values no longer representative of cell density. We show a direct correlation between OD600 values and the accumulation of PHA. We conclude that OD measurement is unreliable for growth evaluation of B. thailandensis because of PHA production. This study also suggests that B. thailandensis could represent an excellent candidate for PHA bioproduction. Correlation between OD measurements and viable cell counts should be verified in any study performed with B. thailandensis.


2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (13) ◽  
pp. 4550-4556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicky G. Kastbjerg ◽  
Dennis S. Nielsen ◽  
Nils Arneborg ◽  
Lone Gram

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes has a remarkable ability to survive and persist in food production environments. The purpose of the present study was to determine if cells in a population of L. monocytogenes differ in sensitivity to disinfection agents as this could be a factor explaining persistence of the bacterium. In situ analyses of Listeria monocytogenes single cells were performed during exposure to different concentrations of the disinfectant Incimaxx DES to study a possible population subdivision. Bacterial survival was quantified with plate counting and disinfection stress at the single-cell level by measuring intracellular pH (pHi) over time by fluorescence ratio imaging microscopy. pHi values were initially 7 to 7.5 and decreased in both attached and planktonic L. monocytogenes cells during exposure to sublethal and lethal concentrations of Incimaxx DES. The response of the bacterial population was homogenous; hence, subpopulations were not detected. However, pregrowth with NaCl protected the planktonic bacterial cells during disinfection with Incimaxx (0.0015%) since pHi was higher (6 to 6.5) for the bacterial population pregrown with NaCl than for cells grown without NaCl (pHi 5 to 5.5) (P < 0.05). The protective effect of NaCl was reflected by viable-cell counts at a higher concentration of Incimaxx (0.0031%), where the salt-grown population survived better than the population grown without NaCl (P < 0.05). NaCl protected attached cells through drying but not during disinfection. This study indicates that a population of L. monocytogenes cells, whether planktonic or attached, is homogenous with respect to sensitivity to an acidic disinfectant studied on the single-cell level. Hence a major subpopulation more tolerant to disinfectants, and hence more persistent, does not appear to be present.


2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (5) ◽  
pp. 1433-1441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youwen Pan ◽  
Frederick Breidt ◽  
Lisa Gorski

ABSTRACT Biofilm formation by Listeria monocytogenes is generally associated with its persistence in the food-processing environment. Serotype 1/2a strains make up more than 50% of the total isolates recovered from food and the environment, while serotype 4b strains are most often associated with major outbreaks of human listeriosis. Using a microplate assay with crystal violet staining, we examined biofilm formation by 18 strains of each serotype in tryptic soy broth with varying concentrations of glucose (from 0.25% to 10.0%, wt/vol), sodium chloride (from 0.5% to 7.0%, wt/vol) and ethanol (from 1% to 5.0%, vol/vol), and at different temperatures (22.5�C, 30�C, and 37�C). A synergistic effect on biofilm formation was observed for glucose, sodium chloride, and temperature. The serotype 1/2a strains generally formed higher-density biofilms than the 4b strains under most conditions tested. Interestingly, most serotype 4b strains had a higher growth rate than the 1/2a strains, suggesting that the growth rate may not be directly related to the capacity for biofilm formation. Crystal violet was found to stain both bacterial cells and biofilm matrix material. The enhancement in biofilm formation by environmental factors was apparently due to the production of extracellular polymeric substances instead of the accumulation of viable biofilm cells.


2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 2950-2958 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Djordjevic ◽  
M. Wiedmann ◽  
L. A. McLandsborough

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes has the ability to form biofilms on food-processing surfaces, potentially leading to food product contamination. The objective of this research was to standardize a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microtiter plate assay to compare the ability of L. monocytogenes strains to form biofilms. A total of 31 coded L. monocytogenes strains were grown in defined medium (modified Welshimer's broth) at 32°C for 20 and 40 h in PVC microtiter plate wells. Biofilm formation was indirectly assessed by staining with 1% crystal violet and measuring crystal violet absorbance, using destaining solution. Cellular growth rates and final cell densities did not correlate with biofilm formation, indicating that differences in biofilm formation under the same environmental conditions were not due to growth rate differences. The mean biofilm production of lineage I strains was significantly greater than that observed for lineage II and lineage III strains. The results from the standardized microtiter plate biofilm assay were also compared to biofilm formation on PVC and stainless steel as assayed by quantitative epifluorescence microscopy. Results showed similar trends for the microscopic and microtiter plate assays, indicating that the PVC microtiter plate assay can be used as a rapid, simple method to screen for differences in biofilm production between strains or growth conditions prior to performing labor-intensive microscopic analyses.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilhan Cem Duru ◽  
Margarita Andreevskaya ◽  
Pia Laine ◽  
Tone Mari Rode ◽  
Anne Ylinen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: High pressure processing (HPP; i.e. 100 - 600 MPa pressure depending on product) is a non-thermal preservation technique adopted by the food industry to decrease significantly foodborne pathogens, including Listeria monocytogenes, from food. However, susceptibility towards pressure differs among diverse strains of L. monocytogenes and it is unclear if this is related to their genomic content. Here, we tested the barotolerance of 10 different L. monocytogenes strains, from food and food processing environments and widely used reference type strains, to pressure treatments with 400 and 600 MPa. Genome sequencing and genome comparison of the tested L. monocytogenes strains were performed to investigate the relation between genomic profile and pressure tolerance.Results: None of the tested strains were tolerant to 600 MPa. A reduction of more than 5 log10 was observed for all strains after 1 minute 600 MPa pressure treatment. L. monocytogenes strain RO15 showed no significant reduction in viable cell counts after 400 MPa for 1 minute and was therefore defined as barotolerant. Genome analysis of so far unsequenced L. monocytogenes strain RO15, 2HF33, MB5, AB199, AB120, C7, and RO4 allowed us to compare the gene content of all strains tested. This revealed that the three most pressure tolerant strains had more than one CRISPR system with self-targeting spacers. Furthermore, several anti-CRISPR genes were detected in these strains. Pan-genome analysis showed that 10 prophage genes were significantly associated with the three most barotolerant strains.Conclusions: L. monocytogenes strain RO15 was the most pressure tolerant among the selected strains. Genome comparison suggests that there might be a relationship between prophages and pressure tolerance in L. monocytogenes.


2013 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 1307-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji-Hoi Moon ◽  
Cheul Kim ◽  
Hee-Su Lee ◽  
Sung-Woon Kim ◽  
Jin-Yong Lee

Prevotella intermedia, a major periodontopathogen, has been shown to be resistant to many antibiotics. In the present study, we examined the effect of the FDA-approved iron chelators deferoxamine (DFO) and deferasirox (DFRA) against planktonic and biofilm cells of P. intermedia in order to evaluate the possibility of using these iron chelators as alternative control agents against P. intermedia. DFRA showed strong antimicrobial activity (MIC and MBC values of 0.16 mg ml−1) against planktonic P. intermedia. At subMICs, DFRA partially inhibited the bacterial growth and considerably prolonged the bacterial doubling time. DFO was unable to completely inhibit the bacterial growth in the concentration range tested and was not bactericidal. Crystal violet binding assay for the assessment of biofilm formation by P. intermedia showed that DFRA significantly decreased the biofilm-forming activity as well as the biofilm formation, while DFO was less effective. DFRA was chosen for further study. In the ATP-bioluminescent assay, which reflects viable cell counts, subMICs of DFRA significantly decreased the bioactivity of biofilms in a concentration-dependent manner. Under the scanning electron microscope, P. intermedia cells in DFRA-treated biofilm were significantly elongated compared to those in untreated biofilm. Further experiments are necessary to show that iron chelators may be used as a therapeutic agent for periodontal disease.


2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Howlin ◽  
M. J. Brayford ◽  
J. S. Webb ◽  
J. J. Cooper ◽  
S. S. Aiken ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTPeriprosthetic infection (PI) causes significant morbidity and mortality after fixation and joint arthroplasty and has been extensively linked to the formation of bacterial biofilms. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), as a cement or as beads, is commonly used for antibiotic release to the site of infection but displays variable elution kinetics and also represents a potential nidus for infection, therefore requiring surgical removal once antibiotics have eluted. Absorbable cements have shown improved elution of a wider range of antibiotics and, crucially, complete biodegradation, but limited data exist as to their antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy. Synthetic calcium sulfate beads loaded with tobramycin, vancomycin, or vancomycin-tobramycin dual treatment (in a 1:0.24 [wt/wt] ratio) were assessed for their abilities to eradicate planktonic methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) andStaphylococcus epidermidisrelative to that of PMMA beads. The ability of the calcium sulfate beads to prevent biofilm formation over multiple days and to eradicate preformed biofilms was studied using a combination of viable cell counts, confocal microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy of the bead surface. Biofilm bacteria displayed a greater tolerance to the antibiotics than their planktonic counterparts. Antibiotic-loaded beads were able to kill planktonic cultures of 106CFU/ml, prevent bacterial colonization, and significantly reduce biofilm formation over multiple days. However, established biofilms were harder to eradicate. These data further demonstrate the difficulty in clearing established biofilms; therefore, early preventive measures are key to reducing the risk of PI. Synthetic calcium sulfate loaded with antibiotics has the potential to reduce or eliminate biofilm formation on adjacent periprosthetic tissue and prosthesis material and, thus, to reduce the rates of periprosthetic infection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
P Centorame ◽  
L Iacone ◽  
R Salini ◽  
A Ciarulli ◽  
F Guidi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In literature, there are no standardized laboratory methods to detect formed biomass by colorimetric analysis. The purpose of this study was to compare three staining methods and two different wavelengths for determination of biofilm formation of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) strains. Methods Three strains of Lm isolated from different origin were tested using 96 well polistirene plates at 12 °C and 30 °C, after incubation the wells were subjected to washing, detaching and staining with crystal violet (CV) at 0.2% and 2% (Panreac EU) in 95% ethanol and with Gram's crystal violet solution (Merck KGaA, Germany). The absorbance at 492nm and 540nm wavelengths was read using a spectrophotometer (SIRIO S, Seac, Firenze, Italia). Results The strains incubated at 12 °C displayed production of biofilm when stained with CV 2% and with Gram's crystal violet solution, both at 492 and 540 nm (with better evidence at 540 nm). If CV 0.2% was used to stain and reading at both optical densities there was evidence of weak or no biofilm production. At 30 °C, the biofilm production was displayed at both temperature and with all the stains. For all the strains and for all the conditions tested, the absorbance was greater but not proportional using the Gram's crystal violet solution, versus the CV 0,2% and CV 2%, and absorbance was higher at 540nm versus at 492nm. Conclusions Results confirmed the lack of reproducibility of each of the method used to detect and quantify the biomass produced during a biofilm formation test in vitro and the absence of ratio between the different results obtained using different CV concentration and wavelengths for reading. Key messages Biofilm production at 12 °C could not be adequately detected staining the wells with CV 0,2%. Absorbance could be influenced by the solvent in the stain used (ethanol, methanol or phenol or mixtures). To obtain data for assessment of biomass formation, being the method characterized by poor reproducibility, the laboratory should use at least the same stain and wavelength.


2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (22) ◽  
pp. 7088-7095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Puig ◽  
Arnau Domenech ◽  
Junkal Garmendia ◽  
Jeroen D. Langereis ◽  
Pascal Mayer ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBiofilm formation by nontypeable (NT)Haemophilus influenzaeremains a controversial topic. Nevertheless, biofilm-like structures have been observed in the middle-ear mucosa of experimental chinchilla models of otitis media (OM). To date, there have been no studies of biofilm formation in large collections of clinical isolates. This study aimed to investigate the initial adhesion to a solid surface and biofilm formation by NTH. influenzaeby comparing isolates from healthy carriers, those with noninvasive respiratory disease, and those with invasive respiratory disease. We used 352 isolates from patients with nonbacteremic community-acquired pneumonia (NB-CAP), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), OM, and invasive disease and a group of healthy colonized children. We then determined the speed of initial adhesion to a solid surface by the BioFilm ring test and quantified biofilm formation by crystal violet staining. Isolates from different clinical sources displayed high levels of biofilm formation on a static solid support after growth for 24 h. We observed clear differences in initial attachment and biofilm formation depending on the pathology associated with NTH. influenzaeisolation, with significantly increased biofilm formation for NTH. influenzaeisolates collected from patients with invasive disease and OM compared with NTH. influenzaeisolates from patients with NB-CAP or COPD and healthy colonized subjects. In all cases, biofilm structures were detached by proteinase K treatment, suggesting an important role for proteins in the initial adhesion and static biofilm formation measured by crystal violet staining.


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