Quantification of acid–base interactions based on contact angle measurement allows XDLVO predictions to attachment of Campylobacter jejuni but not Salmonella

Predicting thermodynamic adhesion energies of membrane fouling in planktonic anammox MBR via backpropagation neural network model

Predicting thermodynamic adhesion energies was a critical strategy for mitigating membrane fouling. This study utilized a backpropagation (BP) neural network model to predict the thermodynamic adhesion energies associated with membrane fouling in a planktonic anammox MBR. Acid-base (ΔGAB), electrostatic double layer (ΔGEL), and Lifshitz-van der Waals (ΔGLW) energies were selected as output variables, the training dataset was collected by the advanced Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) method. Optimization results identified "7-10-3″ as the optimal network structure for the BP model. The prediction results demonstrated a high degree of fit between the predicted and experimental values of thermodynamic adhesion energy (R2 ≥ 0.9278), indicating a robust predictive capability of the model in this study. Overall, the study presented a practical BP neural network model for predicting thermodynamic adhesion energies, significantly enhancing the prediction tool for adhesive fouling behavior in anammox MBRs.

Protein-based bioactive coatings: from nanoarchitectonics to applications

Protein-based bioactive coatings have emerged as a versatile and promising strategy for enhancing the performance and biocompatibility of diverse biomedical materials and devices. Through surface modification, these coatings confer novel biofunctional attributes, rendering the material highly bioactive. Their widespread adoption across various domains in recent years underscores their importance. This review systematically elucidates the behavior of protein-based bioactive coatings in organisms and expounds on their underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, it highlights notable advancements in artificial synthesis methodologies and their functional applications in vitro. A focal point is the delineation of assembly strategies employed in crafting protein-based bioactive coatings, which provides a guide for their expansion and sustained implementation. Finally, the current trends, challenges, and future directions of protein-based bioactive coatings are discussed.

Recent Strategies and Future Recommendations for the Fabrication of Antimicrobial, Antibiofilm, and Antibiofouling Biomaterials

Biomaterials and biomedical devices induced life-threatening bacterial infections and other biological adverse effects such as thrombosis and fibrosis have posed a significant threat to global healthcare. Bacterial infections and adverse biological effects are often caused by the formation of microbial biofilms and the adherence of various biomacromolecules, such as platelets, proteins, fibroblasts, and immune cells, to the surfaces of biomaterials and biomedical devices. Due to the programmed interconnected networking of bacteria in microbial biofilms, they are challenging to treat and can withstand several doses of antibiotics. Additionally, antibiotics can kill bacteria but do not prevent the adsorption of biomacromolecules from physiological fluids or implanting sites, which generates a conditioning layer that promotes bacteria's reattachment, development, and eventual biofilm formation. In these viewpoints, we highlighted the magnitude of biomaterials and biomedical device-induced infections, the role of biofilm formation, and biomacromolecule adhesion in human pathogenesis. We then discussed the solutions practiced in healthcare systems for curing biomaterials and biomedical device-induced infections and their limitations. Moreover, this review comprehensively elaborated on the recent advances in designing and fabricating biomaterials and biomedical devices with these three properties: antibacterial (bacterial killing), antibiofilm (biofilm inhibition/prevention), and antibiofouling (biofouling inhibition/prevention) against microbial species and against the adhesion of other biomacromolecules. Besides we also recommended potential directions for further investigations.

A new insight into the low membrane fouling tendency of liquid-liquid hollow fiber membrane contactor capturing ammonia from human urine

To unravel the low membrane fouling tendency and underlying membrane fouling mechanism of liquid-liquid hollow fiber membrane contactor (LL-HFMC) capturing ammonia from human urine, the ammonia flux decline trend, membrane fouling propensity, foulant-membrane thermodynamic interaction energy and microscale force analysis at different feed urine pH were comprehensively investigated. The 21-d continuous experiments showed that the ammonia flux decline trend and membrane fouling propensity significantly strengthened with the decrease of feed urine pH. The calculated foulant-membrane thermodynamic interaction energy decreased with the decreasing feed urine pH and agreed with the ammonia flux decline trend and membrane fouling propensity. The microscale force analysis showed that the absence of hydrodynamic water permeate drag force resulted in the foulant located at long distance from the membrane were difficult to approach the membrane surface, thus considerably alleviating membrane fouling. Additionally, the vital thermodynamic attractive force near the membrane surface increased with the decrease of feed urine pH, which made the membrane fouling further relieved at high pH condition. Therefore, the absence of water permeate drag force and operating at high pH condition minimized the membrane fouling during the LL-HFMC ammonia capture process. The obtained results provide a new insight into the low membrane tendency mechanism of LL-HFMC.

Exopolysaccharide from Lactobacillus casei NA-2 attenuates Escherichia coli O157:H7 surface adhesion via modulation of membrane surface properties and adhesion-related gene expression

The natural compound, exopolysaccharide from Lactobacillus casei NA-2 (EPS-cn2), has been shown to inhibit biofilm formation by Escherichia coli O157:H7. Although bacterial adhesion to substrate surfaces is a primary, indispensable step in this process, the mechanisms by which EPS-cn2 can block E. coli O157:H7 adhesion to biotic or abiotic surfaces remain unclear. In this study, investigation of E. coli O157:H7 response to EPS-cn2 revealed that 1 mg/mL EPS-cn2 can decrease adherence to polystyrene and confluent Caco-2 cell surfaces to 49.0% (P＜0.0001) and 57.0% (P＜0.01) of that in untreated E. coli O157:H7, respectively. Moreover, EPS-cn2 significantly reduced outer membrane hydrophobicity by 49.0% and decreased the electronegativity of the membrane surface charge by as much as 1.57 mV (P＜0.05) compared to untreated cells. High throughput RNA sequencing indicated that genes responsible for adhesion through extracellular matrix secretion, such as poly-N-acetyl-glucosamine (PNAG) biosynthesis, locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) proteins and outer membrane protein (OmpT) were all down-regulated in response to EPS-cn2, while chemotaxis and motility-related flagellar assembly genes were differentially up-regulated, suggesting that the EPS-cn2 may serve as an extracellular signal to attenuate adhesion-related gene expression and alter bacterial surface properties in E. coli O157:H7. These findings support the further development of EPS-cn2 for pathogenic biofilm management in clinical and industrial settings, and suggests the further targeting of adhesion-related genes to limit the persistence of this highly pathogenic strain in sensitive environments.

Extracellular polymeric substance profiling and biophysical analysis reveal influence factors of spontaneous flocculation in rich lipid alga Heveochlorella sp. Yu

Microalgae harvest and lipid accumulation were important factors influencing commercialized development of microalgae biodiesel. Spontaneous flocculation was an ideal method in microalgae harvest, but few rich lipid microalgae could be harvested by spontaneous flocculation. Rich lipid alga Heveochlorella sp. Yu has a characteristic of spontaneous flocculation to be harvested. Heveochlorella sp. Yu has high lipid productivity (105.24 mg L^-1 d^-1) and fine spontaneous flocculation efficiency (82.93 %, 2 h) on early stationary phase (day 9). The polysaccharides consisting of glucose, mannose, galactose, rhamnose and fructose (8.67:4.90:3.27:2.16:1) in loose-bound extracellular polymeric substance (LB-EPS) might make great contribution in microalgae flocculation. Meanwhile, the zeta potential close to zero was also beneficial to microalgae flocculation. Besides, the adhesion free energy related with cells adhesion was detected by thermomechanical analysis. Afterward, Extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) theory was utilized to quantitatively evaluate short-range interactions involved in the spontaneous aggregation among cells. Collectively, biophysical analyses indicated that content and composition of EPS, Zeta potential, thermodynamic parameter and total interaction based on XDLVO theory were closely connected with spontaneous flocculation in microalga Yu. Our study provided a harvest-simplified process of rich microalgae, which proposes a new idea for commercial development of microalgae biodiesel.

Tea extracts inhibit the attachment of streptococci to oral/dental substrata by reducing hydrogen bonding energies

Previous work in the authors' lab demonstrated that tea extracts significantly suppressed streptococcal colonization of abiotic substrata by coating the bacterial cell surfaces with tea components. In this study, the physico-chemical mechanisms by which the tea coating inhibits cellular attachment are demonstrated. The changes in the cell surface physico-chemical properties of streptococci, induced by tea extracts, were measured. Using these results, surface interaction energies were calculated between streptococcal cells and hard surfaces (glass, stainless steel, hydroxyapatite and titanium) within the cellular attachment system exploiting the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory. The net energy outcomes were compared with experiment results of attachment assays to validate the predictability of the model. The results showed that the tea extracts inhibited the attachment of the bacteria by 11.1%-91.5%, and reduced the interaction energy by 15.4%-94.9%. It was also demonstrated that the abilities of the bacteria to attach to hard surfaces correlated well with their net interaction energies. The predominant interaction in the systems was found to be hydrogen bonding. In conclusion, tea extracts suppress streptococcal attachment to hard substrata by limiting the formation of hydrogen bonds.

The theoretical adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli on some plumbing materials in presence of distilled water or tap water

The main aim of this work was to determine the most appropriate materials for the installation of a water system according to the characteristics of the water that passes through it. To this end, we conducted an investigation of the effect of two types of water (SDW: sterile distilled water and STW: sterile tap water) on the properties of bacterial surfaces and the theoretical adhesion of two bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) on six plumbing materials. Contact angle measurements were used to determine the surface energies of bacteria and materials. XDLVO theory was used to estimate the interactions between bacteria and plumbing materials. The results showed that water had a clear impact on the electron donor character and the hydrophobicity of the bacterial surfaces. Also, the predictive adhesion showed that all tested materials could be colonized by P. aeruginosa and E. coli ([Formula: see text]<0). However, colonization became thermodynamically less favorable or unfavorable (increase in [Formula: see text] values) with SDW and STW, respectively. Finally, the results suggest that the choice of the most suitable material for a drinking water installation is related to the quality of the water itself.

A statistical approach for modelling the physical process of bacterial attachment to abiotic surfaces

A statistical approach using a polynomial linear model in combination with a probability distribution model was developed to mathematically represent the process of bacterial attachment and study its mechanism. The linear deterministic model was built based on data from experiments investigating bacterial and substratum surface physico-chemical factors as predictors of attachment. The prediction results were applied to a normal-approximated binomial distribution model to probabilistically predict attachment. The experimental protocol used mixtures of Streptococcus salivarius and Escherichia coli, and mixtures of porous poly(butyl methacrylate-co-ethyl dimethacrylate) and aluminum sec-butoxide coatings, at varying ratios, to allow bacterial attachment to substratum surfaces across a range of physico-chemical properties (including the surface hydrophobicity of bacterial cells and the substratum, the surface charge of the cells and the substratum, the substratum surface roughness and cell size). The model was tested using data from independent experiments. The model indicated that hydrophobic interaction was the most important predictor while reciprocal interactions existed between some of the factors. More importantly, the model established a range for each factor within which the resultant attachment is unpredictable. This model, however, considers bacterial cells as colloidal particles and accounts only for the essential physico-chemical attributes of the bacterial cells and substratum surfaces. It is therefore limited by a lack of consideration of biological and environmental factors. This makes the model applicable only to specific environments and potentially provides a direction to future modelling for different environments.

Inhibitory effects of saliva as a suspending fluid on attachment of oral bacteria to hydroxyapatite and titanium

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to examine the influence of saliva on the attachment of oral bacteria to hydroxyapatite and titanium surfaces in an in vitro setting using saliva as a suspending fluid for the bacterial cells, and to investigate the changes in bacterial surface physicochemical properties (hydrophobicity and charge) induced by saliva.

DESIGN

Saliva collected from human donors was used to treat five strains of oral bacteria. The surface hydrophobicity and charge of the treated cells were measured. The effects of saliva as a suspending fluid on attachment of the strains to hydroxyapatite and titanium were investigated.

RESULTS

Saliva was found to inhibit the attachment of four streptococcal strains by up to 100-fold. The inhibitory effects were potentially due to changes in cell-surface physicochemical properties induced by saliva. These effects were, however, not observed on Actinomyces naeslundii.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that saliva may reduce bacterial colonization by oral streptococci and that using saliva as a suspending fluid may be a useful addition for bacterial attachment studies.

Epigallocatechin gallate and gallic acid affect colonization of abiotic surfaces by oral bacteria

OBJECTIVES

epigallocatechin gallate and gallic acid are known antimicrobial agents. Their roles in controlling microbial colonization, such as bacterial attachment and biofilm formation, are however not completely clear. This study aims to investigate their effects on the colonization of abiotic surfaces by oral bacteria and study the mechanism of their activities.

DESIGN

the effects of epigallocatechin gallate and gallic acid on cell surface physicochemical properties (hydrophobicity and charge) of a range of oral bacteria and their auto-aggregation, attachment and biofilm formation on different abiotic surfaces (glass, stainless steel and hydroxyapatite) were studied.

RESULTS

results show that epigallocatechin gallate inhibited bacterial attachment to the hard surfaces (except hydroxyapatite) by 0.2-1.4 log CFU cm^-2 by affecting cell surface hydrophobicity and charge. In addition, epigallocatechin gallate induced notches on cell surfaces of Streptococcus mutans without affecting their viability and biofilm formation. Gallic acid enhanced auto-aggregation (by 7.9-30.6 %) and biofilm formation by Actinomyces naeslundii (by 0.9-1.2 log CFU cm^-2) by causing calcium efflux from the cells.

CONCLUSIONS

the tested phytochemicals influenced the colonization of abiotic surfaces by oral bacteria through different mechanisms, most notably via affecting cell surface physicochemical properties, inducing changes in the shape of cell envelopes and causing calcium efflux.

Different fouling propensities of loosely and tightly bound extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) and the related fouling mechanisms in a membrane bioreactor

In this study, fouling propensities of loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPSs) and tightly bound EPSs (TB-EPSs) in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) were investigated. It was found that, both the LB-EPSs and TB-EPSs possessed rather high specific filtration resistance (SFR), and LB-EPSs possessed about three times higher SFR but a lower adhesion ability than the TB-EPSs. A series of characterizations demonstrated that LB-EPSs had higher ratio of proteins to polysaccharides (PN/PS ratio), lower CO bonds content, higher hydrophilicity, higher deformation or mixing ability and more abundant high molecular weight (MW) substances than TB-EPSs. Thermodynamic analyzes revealed that the total interaction energy between the TB-EPSs and membrane was always attractive and strengthened, well explaining the higher adhesion ability of the TB-EPSs than the LB-EPSs. Meanwhile, the filtration process was found to be associated with gel layer formation, and the high SFR of EPSs was caused by the chemical potential change in gel layer filtration. According to the Flory-Huggins lattice theory, LB-EPSs tended to form a gel layer with higher cross-linking and/or polymer entanglement level because they contained more abundant high molecular weight (MW) substance, corresponding to higher SFR than that of the TB-EPSs. The proposed thermodynamic mechanisms well interpreted the different fouling propensities of LB-EPSs and TB-EPSs in MBRs.

Characterization of activated sludge flocs in membrane bioreactor: stable and unstable flocs

In this study, the properties of unstable and stable flocs were investigated under the steady operation of a membrane bioreactor (MBR). The extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) composition, surface charge, and hydrophobicity of unstable and stable flocs were examined and compared. Interfacial interactions of the membrane with unstable flocs, unstable flocs themselves, and unstable and stable flocs were assessed using the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) models. Cake layer resistance was found to contribute more than 80% of total resistance under steady operating conditions. Compared with stable flocs, unstable flocs possessed a higher level of EPS, more diverse protein, more negative charge, weaker hydrophobicity, and higher fouling potential. Thermodynamic analyses showed that unstable flocs had a higher adhesive strength (- 63.4 mJ/m²) with the membrane, lower self-cohesive strength (- 18.3 mJ/m²), and higher cohesive strength (- 54.3 mJ/m²) with stable flocs. Therefore, some unstable flocs remained on the membrane surface to form the cake layer due to their poor cohesion strength.

Implant infections: adhesion, biofilm formation and immune evasion

Medical device-associated infections account for a large proportion of hospital-acquired infections. A variety of opportunistic pathogens can cause implant infections, depending on the type of the implant and on the anatomical site of implantation. The success of these versatile pathogens depends on rapid adhesion to virtually all biomaterial surfaces and survival in the hostile host environment. Biofilm formation on implant surfaces shelters the bacteria and encourages persistence of infection. Furthermore, implant-infecting bacteria can elude innate and adaptive host defences as well as biocides and antibiotic chemotherapies. In this Review, we explore the fundamental pathogenic mechanisms underlying implant infections, highlighting orthopaedic implants and Staphylococcus aureus as a prime example, and discuss innovative targets for preventive and therapeutic strategies.

Quantitative Criterion to Predict Cell Adhesion by Identifying Dominant Interaction between Microorganisms and Abiotic Surfaces

Cell adhesion is ubiquitous and plays an important role in various scientific and engineering problems. Herein, a quantitative criterion to predict cell adhesion was proposed by identifying the dominant interaction between microorganisms and abiotic surfaces. According to the criterion, the dominant interaction in cell adhesion could be identified as a Lewis acid-base (AB) interaction or electrostatic (EL) interaction via comparison of two expressions containing the electron-donor characteristics of the microorganism (γ_mv^-) and abiotic surface (γ_sv^-) and their ζ potentials (ζ_m, ζ_s). The results revealed that when dominated by the AB interaction, adhesion would decrease with increasing [Formula: see text]. However, when the EL interaction was dominant, adhesion would decrease with increasing (ζ_m + ζ_s)². We have verified the criterion based on the adhesion of microalgae, bacteria, and fungi onto various surfaces obtained via our experiments and available in literature studies. The results demonstrated that the criterion had important implications in the prediction of cell adhesion in various applications.

Adaptive antibacterial biomaterial surfaces and their applications

Bacterial infections on the implant surface may eventually lead to biofilm formation ​and thus threaten the use of implants in body. Despite efficient host immune system, the implant surface can be rapidly occupied by bacteria, resulting in infection persistence, implant failure, and even death of the patients. It is difficult to cope with these problems because bacteria exhibit complex adhesion mechanisms to the implants that vary according to bacterial strains. Different biomaterial coatings have been produced to release antibiotics to kill bacteria. However, antibiotic resistance occurs very frequently. Stimuli-responsive biomaterials have gained much attention in recent years ​but are not effective enough in killing the pathogens because of the complex mechanisms in bacteria. This review is focused on the development of highly efficient and specifically targeted biomaterials that release the antimicrobial agents or respond to bacteria on demands in body. The mechanisms of bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation, and antibiotic resistance are discussed, and the released substances accounting for implant infection are described. Strategies that have been used in past for the eradication of bacterial infections are also discussed. Different types of stimuli can be triggered only upon the existence of bacteria, leading to the release of antibacterial molecules that in turn kill the bacteria. In particular, the toxin-triggered, pH-responsive, and dual stimulus-responsive adaptive antibacterial biomaterials are introduced. Finally, the state of the art in fabrication of dual responsive antibacterial biomaterials and tissue integration in medical implants is discussed.

Effects of fractal roughness of membrane surfaces on interfacial interactions associated with membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor

Fractal roughness is one of the most important properties of a fractal surface. In this study, it was found that, randomly rough membrane surface was a fractal surface, which could be digitally modeled by a modified two-variable Weierstrass-Mandelbrot (WM) function. Fractal roughness of membrane surfaces has a typical power function relation with the statistical roughness of the modeled surface. Assessment of interfacial interactions showed that an increase in fractal roughness of membrane surfaces will strengthen and prolong the interfacial interactions between membranes and foulants, and under conditions in this study, will significantly increase the adhesion propensity of a foulant particle on membrane surface. This interesting result can be attributed to that increase in fractal roughness simultaneously improves separation distance and interaction surface area for adhesion of a foulant particle. This study gives deep insights into interfacial interactions and membrane fouling in MBRs.

Influences of acid-base property of membrane on interfacial interactions related with membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor based on thermodynamic assessment

Failure of membrane hydrophobicity in predicting membrane fouling requires a more reliable indicator. In this study, influences of membrane acid base (AB) property on interfacial interactions in two different interaction scenarios in a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) were studied according to thermodynamic approaches. It was found that both the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane and foulant samples in the MBR had relatively high electron donor (γ(-)) component and low electron acceptor (γ(+)) component. For both of interaction scenarios, AB interaction was the major component of the total interaction. The results showed that, the total interaction monotonically decreased with membrane γ(-), while was marginally affected by membrane γ(+), suggesting that γ(-) could act as a reliable indicator for membrane fouling prediction. This study suggested that membrane modification for fouling mitigation should orient to improving membrane surface γ(-) component rather than hydrophilicity.

Quantitatively predicting bacterial adhesion using surface free energy determined with a spectrophotometric method

Bacterial adhesion onto solid surfaces is of importance in a wide spectrum of problems, including environmental microbiology, biomedical research, and various industrial applications. Despite many research efforts, present thermodynamic models that rely on the evaluation of the adhesion energy are often elusive in predicting the bacterial adhesion behavior. Here, we developed a new spectrophotometric method to determine the surface free energy (SFE) of bacterial cells. The adhesion behaviors of five bacterial species, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, and Escherichia coli DH5α, onto two model substratum surfaces, i.e., clean glass and silanized glass surfaces, were studied. We found that bacterial adhesion was unambiguously mediated by the SFE difference between the bacterial cells and the solid substratum. The lower the SFE difference, the higher degree of bacterial adhesion. We therefore propose the use of the SFE difference as an accurate and simple thermodynamic measure for quantitatively predicting bacterial adhesion. The methodological advance and thermodynamic simplification in the paper have implications in controlling bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on solid surfaces.

Membrane fouling in a submerged membrane bioreactor with focus on surface properties and interactions of cake sludge and bulk sludge

In this study, the fouling behaviors and surface properties of cake sludge and bulk sludge in a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) were investigated and compared. It was found that the specific filtration resistance (SFR) of cake sludge was about 5 times higher than that of bulk sludge. Two types of sludge possessed similar extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content, particle size distribution (PSD) and zeta potential. However, their surface properties in terms of surface tensions were significantly different. Further analysis showed that cake sludge was more hydrophilic and had worse aggregation ability. Moreover, cake sludge surface possessed more hydrocarbon, less oxygen and nitrogen moieties than bulk sludge surface. It was suggested that, rather than EPS and PSD differences, the differences in the surface composition were the main cause of the great differences in SFR and adhesion ability between cake sludge and bulk sludge.

Thermodynamic prediction of growth temperature dependence in the adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus to stainless steel and polycarbonate

This study investigated the effect of growth temperature changes (20, 30, and 37°C) on the adhesion behavior of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus to stainless steel and polycarbonate. Adhesion assays were performed under static conditions at 20°C. In addition, the validity of the thermodynamic and extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek theories as predictive tools of bacterial adhesion were studied. The surface properties of the bacterial cells and the substrates of attachment were characterized, and atomic force microscopy was used to analyze the surface topography. The results indicated that the highest adhesion rate of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus on both surfaces was observed when the cells were grown at 37°C. The bacterial adhesion to stainless steel was found to be two times higher than to polycarbonate for both bacteria, whatever the condition used. The present study underlined that the thermodynamic and the extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek theories were able to partially predict the empirical results of P. aeruginosa adhesion. However, these theories failed to predict the adhesion behavior of S. aureus to both surfaces when the growth temperature was changed. The results of the microbial adhesion to solvent indicated that the adhesion rate to abiotic surfaces may correlate with the hydrophobicity of bacterial surfaces. The effect of surface topography on bacterial adhesion showed that surface roughness, even on the very low nanometer scale, has a significant effect on bacterial adhesion behavior.

Biofilm formation and persistence on abiotic surfaces in the context of food and medical environments

The biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces in food and medical sectors constitutes a great public health concerns. In fact, biofilms present a persistent source for pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, which lead to severe infections such as foodborne and nosocomial infections. Such biofilms are also a source of material deterioration and failure. The environmental conditions, commonly met in food and medical area, seem also to enhance the biofilm formation and their resistance to disinfectant agents. In this regard, this review highlights the effect of environmental conditions on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces in the context of food and medical environment. It also describes the current and emergent strategies used to study the biofilm formation and its eradication. The mechanisms of biofilm resistance to commercialized disinfectants are also discussed, since this phenomenon remains unclear to date.

Success and failure of colloidal approaches in adhesion of microorganisms to surfaces

Biofilms are communities of cells attached to surfaces, their contributions to biological process may be either a benefit or a threat depending on the microorganism involved and on the type of substrate and environment. Biofilm formation is a complex series of steps; due to the size of microorganisms, the initial phase of biofilm formation, the bacterial adhesion to the surface, has been studied and modeled using theories developed in colloidal science. In this review the application of approaches such as Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, Overbeek (DLVO) theory and its extended version (xDLVO), to bacterial adhesion is described along with the suitability and applicability of such approaches to the investigation of the interface phenomena regulating cells adhesion. A further refinement of the xDLVO theory encompassing the brush model is also discussed. Finally, the evidences of phenomena neglected in colloidal approaches, such as surface heterogeneity and fluid flow, likely to be the source of failure are defined.

Effects of ionic strength on membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor

In this study, the effects of ionic strength on membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) were investigated. Ionic strength in range of 0.005-0.05mol/L exerted no apparent impacts on the resistance of virgin membrane, fouled membrane and pore clogging. Thermodynamic analysis showed existences of a secondary energy minimum and an energy barrier in the process of the sludge flocs approaching to membrane surface. Increase in ionic strength could significantly reduce the energy barrier. It was revealed that there existed a critical ionic strength above that the energy barrier would disappear, facilitating adhesion of the foulants. Cake resistance was not significantly affected by the ionic strength, but highly depended on SMP in supernatant. The high cake resistance caused by SMP could be explained by the osmotic pressure mechanism. The obtained results provided new insights into membrane fouling in MBRs.

Membrane fouling in a submerged membrane bioreactor: effect of pH and its implications

The effect of pH on membrane fouling in a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) was investigated in this study. It was found that, pH increase slightly increased the resistance of virgin membrane and fouled membrane. Pore clogging resistance was quite low, which was not apparently affected by the pH variation. Lower pH resulted in higher adherence of sludge flocs on membrane surface. Thermodynamic analysis showed that a repulsive energy barrier existed in the process of the foulants approaching to membrane surface. This energy barrier would decrease with pH decreased, suggesting the existence of a critical pH below which the repulsive energy barrier would disappear, which would facilitate attachment of the foulants. The resistance of the formed cake layer would significantly increase with the feed pH. This result could be explained by the osmotic pressure mechanism. The obtained findings also provided important implications for membrane fouling mitigation in MBRs.

Thermodynamic analysis of membrane fouling in a submerged membrane bioreactor and its implications

The thermodynamic interactions between membrane and sludge flocs in a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) were investigated. It was found that Lewis acid-base (AB) interaction predominated in the total interactions. The interaction energy composition of membrane-sludge flocs combination was quite similar to that of membrane-bovine serum albumin (BSA) combination, indicating the critical role of proteins in adhesion process. Detailed analysis revealed the existence of a repulsive energy barrier in membrane-foulants interaction. Calculation results demonstrated that small flocs possessed higher attractive interaction energy per unit mass, and therefore adhered to membrane surface more easily as compared to large flocs. Meanwhile, initial sludge adhesion would facilitate the following adhesion due to the reduced repulsive energy barrier. Membrane with high electron donor surface tension component was a favor option for membrane fouling abatement. These findings offered new insights into membrane fouling, and also provided significant implications for fouling control in MBRs.

An overview of the methodological approach to the in vitro study of anti-infective biomaterials

Biomaterial-associated infections have an enormous impact in terms of morbidity of the patients and costs to national health systems. Perioperative antibiotics and aseptic procedures have not proved sufficient to eradicate the occurrence of this type of infections which often lead to devastating effects. Adjunctive strategies for preventing the establishment of infections are increasingly being centered on the development of new biomaterials with anti-infective properties. The creation of new anti-infective biomaterials can be obtained by alternative approaches oriented to achieve either bacteria-repellent surfaces or bioactive surfaces expressing self-sterilizing properties when not even able to treat pre-existing infections in the surrounding tissues. Here, we offer a short overview of the currently available in vitro methods that can be used to investigate and assess the performance of anti-infective biomaterials, with special emphasis on those whose mechanism of action is based on bacteria-repellent surfaces.