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Antibiofilm Agents pp 161–174Cite as

The Effect of Plasmids and Other Biomolecules on the Effectiveness of Antibiofilm Agents

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Part of the book series: Springer Series on Biofilms ((BIOFILMS,volume 8))

Abstract

This chapter describes the impact of cell transformation with a recombinant plasmid and the effects of the presence of selected biomolecules (bovine serum albumin—BSA, alginate, yeast extract and humic acids) on biofilm resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), which are often used in medical applications to prevent microbial contamination. Two case studies are presented, the first concerning cell transformation with recombinant plasmids and the second addressing potential interfering substances. In the first case study, the pET28 and pUC8 plasmids were used to transform Escherichia coli JM109(DE3), and biofilm formation, removal and antimicrobial susceptibility to the cationic biocide benzyldimethyldodecylammonium chloride (BDMDAC) were assessed. Plasmid-bearing cells formed biofilms with higher cell densities, whereas non-transformed cells had higher viabilities. It was found that biocide treatment was not efficient for biofilm removal and that the thickness of the biofilms formed by non-transformed cells is less affected by the treatment, a fact that can be associated with a higher protein content of the biofilm matrix. Despite being unsuccessful at removing the biofilms, BDMDAC was very effective at killing the cells since complete inactivation was attained for transformed and non-transformed strains. In the second case study, it was possible to conclude that BSA, alginate and yeast extract resulted in mild interferences in the antibacterial activity of benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) against Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Humic acids have a severe impact on the activity of these QACs and can even trigger metabolic activation in some circumstances. These observations suggest that the presence of the tested biomolecules should be taken into account when using QACs as disinfection agents.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors—COMPETE, European Fund for Regional Development—FEDER and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology—FCT, through Projects PTDC/EBB-BIO/102863/2008 and PTDC/EBB-EBI/105085/2008. Luciana Gomes acknowledges the receipt of a Ph.D. grant from FCT (SFRH/BD/80400/2011).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LEPABE, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal

    L. C. Gomes, P. A. Araújo, J. S. Teodósio, M. Simões & F. J. Mergulhão

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  1. L. C. Gomes
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  2. P. A. Araújo
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  3. J. S. Teodósio
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  4. M. Simões
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  5. F. J. Mergulhão
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Correspondence to F. J. Mergulhão .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA

    Kendra P. Rumbaugh

  2. Department of Ag. Microbiology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India

    Iqbal Ahmad

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Gomes, L.C., Araújo, P.A., Teodósio, J.S., Simões, M., Mergulhão, F.J. (2014). The Effect of Plasmids and Other Biomolecules on the Effectiveness of Antibiofilm Agents. In: Rumbaugh, K., Ahmad, I. (eds) Antibiofilm Agents. Springer Series on Biofilms, vol 8. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-53833-9_8

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