Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Biofilms

A biofilm is a structured community of microorganisms encapsulated within a self-developed polymeric matrix and adherent to a living or inert surface. Biofilms have a large and varied role in human activities from being responsible for a number of diseases in humans and animals to also being invaluable in the treatment of domestic sewage and industrial wastes. (Cambridge Journals) The study of biofilms represents a radical new way of understanding the microbiology of virtually everything around us, from problems that afflict industry to serious public health issues. (Montana State University).

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So the basic questions to ask are: When do biofilms cause problems to humanity? And when are biofilms helpful?

The propensity of biofilms to attach can cause many problems for a wide range of industries. An example of these problems is the contamination that biofilms cause in the pulp and paper manufacturing, and the water and treatment distribution. Biofilms are responsible for billions of dollars in lost industrial productivity, as well as product and capital equipment damage each year. That is why some companies have already started programs of R&D in this area. An example of one of these companies is Finnoflag OY which is developing a product called PMEU that allows the detection of microbes in the wood processing and food industries.
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Biofilms can also cause many infections in human beings, and can be really dangerous. Biofilm infections form preferentially on foreign surfaces as well as dead or damaged tissue. These infections develop gradually and may be slow to produce overt symptoms. Once established, however, biofilm infections persist. They are rarely resolved by host defense mechanisms, even in individuals with healthy innate and adaptive immune reactions. (Montana State University). A company in the USA called QuoNova has started to attack the problem of biofilms as a health problem and they are developing products that allow combating biofilms in wounds and in cystic fibrosis in lungs.

Although biofilms sound really harmful, they also have some benefits. For example: they may be used for the self-purification of streams and rivers, in the treatment of waste and pollution and/or the generation of electricity. This is made possible by the protective slimy matrix that prevents attack from the immune system and antibiotics, as well as toxic contaminants while breaking down waste or effluent. (European Research Comission).

It is really good that some companies have already started the R&D of products to combat biofilms, or to enhance their beneficial properties but much more investment should still be done in this area.

3 comments:

Helge Keitel said...

Hi, there is this touch of bio.

"Biofilms are responsible for billions of dollars in lost industrial productivity, as well as product and capital equipment damage each year. That is why some companies have already started programs of R&D in this area."

Juha Mentu has been working with biofilm related problems in the pulp and paper industry. More information in this blog: http://industrymicrobiologist.blogspot.com/

It would be nice to get a comment from Elias Hakalehto about biofilms as well.

Br
Helge

Juha V. Mentu said...

I will recall some properties of bacterial biofilms:

* modifications of bacteria have been noticed when they have attached on a solid surface from flowing water and started their life as biofilm organisms

* biocide dosages shall be increased significantly when fighting against biofilm organisms
(to kill biofilm population, at least 10...1000 times higher than normal biocide concentrations, intended in process water treatment, are needed)

* older biofilms of paper industry very rarely contain only microbes and their metabolites - in opposite, they usually consist of living material and all kinds of process components (fibres, starch, mineral pigments, other additives, resins etc.)

* some of the biofilm organisms are very difficult to cultivate on traditional culture media (PMEU method helps to detect these kind of microbes significantly)

* biofilms act as microbial "reservoirs" for the process water circulations by releasing living microbes "back" into the water flow

Regards,
Juha

Juha V. Mentu said...

The knowledge of paper industry biofilms is increasing ver fast. Several, excellent reports about this problem and the causative agents of this "paper machine disease" have been published by the researchers of Helsinki University, Dep. of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, Finland.

I will review those articles and other public scientific reports in my blog (www.industrymicrobiologist.blogspot.com) in near future.