Center for Biofilm Engineering

News Update: 

November, 2004

Volume 7, Issue 9

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Research Highlights

Paper Spotlight

Project investigates interaction between human defense cells and biofilm infections

The human immune system is usually adept at clearing bacterial infections. However, this protective system has difficulty clearing infections when the bacteria are associated with surfaces and growing in microbial communities known as biofilms. It is well known that, when bacterial biofilms infect artificial implant devices, it is almost impossible to treat these infections with antibiotics. In addition, the human immune response is not able to resolve these infections and the implant device must be removed. This article addressed questions regarding how human neutrophils (the first immune cells that fight infections) respond to biofilms. The results demonstrated that when the neutrophils settled on the biofilms, they retained their rounded shape rather than becoming polarized, as normally occurs during neutrophil response to planktonic bacteria. The neutrophils were partially active. They were able to degranulate, secrete antibacterial factors, and engage in phagocytosis. In addition, they were able to engage in oxidative bursts, but with little increase in productive oxygen compounds that result in bacterial killing. The surprising findings were that the neutrophils remained immobile and appeared paralyzed by the biofilm. Clouds of biofilm bacteria were released following exposure to the neutrophils, indicating that they respond to neutrophils by retreating. The results demonstrate that the host becomes compromised by Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms as the biofilm bacteria escape and the neutrophils remain immobilized with little production of oxygen that is toxic to the bacteria.

Compromised Host Defense of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms: Characterization of Neutrophil and Biofilm Interactions
A. J. Jesaitis, M. Franklin, D. Berglund, M. Sasaki, C. I. Lord, J. B. Bleazard, J. E. Duffy, H. Beyenal and Z. Lewandowski
Journal of Immunology 2003; 171:4329-4339

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New Industrial Associate

The CBE welcomes GlaxoSmithKline as the latest industrial associate member. They are the third largest pharmaceutical company worldwide with 24 sites in seven countries, and they are leaders in the therapeutic areas of anti-infectives, central nervous system, respiratory and gastrointestinal/metabolic. Rod McNab is the company’s representative.

See GlaxoSmithKline’s website for more information: www.gsk.com
 

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IWA Biofilms 2004 Conference

The International Water Association sponsored the Biofilms 2004 Conference held in Las Vegas, NV October 24-26. The conference focused on the structure and activity of biofilm, including physiology and genetics, modeling and applications. Over 180 people attended the conference from 27 countries. At the conference Dr. Zbigniew Lewandowski was named Chairman of IWA Specialist Group on Biofilm Processes. IWA Specialist Groups bring together experts from many disciplines who are dedicated to addressing various problems related to water treatment, water supply, and wastewater treatment.

See pictures of CBE faculty, staff and other international researchers who participated in the conference at: http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/HTML/2004/Biofilms2004.htm

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Recent CBE Publications

Evaluation of Disinfectant Efficacy Against Biofilm and Suspended Bacteria in a Laboratory Swimming Pool Model
D.M. Goeres, T. Palys, B.B. Sandel and J. Geiger
Water Research 2004; 38:3103-3109

Prevalence of Microbial Biofilms on Selected Fresh Produce and Household Surfaces
J. Rayner, R. Veeh and J. Flood
International Journal of Food Microbiology 2004; 95:29-39

Stratified Growth in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms
E. Werner, F. Roe, A. Bugnicourt, M.J. Franklin, A. Heydorn, S. Molin, B. Pitts and P.S. Stewart
Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2004; 70(10):6188-6196

Usnic Acid, a Natural Antimicrobial Agent able to Inhibit Bacterial
Biofilm Formation on Polymer Surfaces
I. Francolini, P. Norris, A. Piozzi, G. Donelli and P. Stoodley
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 2004; 48(11):4360-4365

To read these paper abstracts or to order paper copies see:
http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/pubs/Database/PD_DisplayScript.asp
 

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Visitors

Nishma Mandahar, a graduate student in microbiology from the University of Duisberg-Essen in Germany, will be at the CBE from November through December 2004 to perform experiments on the transport of pathogenic bacteria in porous media columns. As an undergraduate student, she participated in a collaborative project with Dr. Wolfgang Uhl and Dr. Anne Camper which has allowed Nishma to visit the CBE.

Dr. Ray Hozalski, Associate Professor in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota, will be visiting the CBE as part of his sabbatical leave. He will be at the CBE from November 2004 through July 2005, during which he will interface with Dr. Camper’s laboratory to enhance his understanding of biofilms and their interaction with natural organic matter in low nutrient environments.

Dr. Andreas Nocker, a research scientist in microbiology from Germany, will be conducting research on survival of pathogens in drinking water systems and will be in charge of the CBE’s new RT-PCR. He will begin his two-year project at the CBE in November 2004, and while here, he’ll be a team member in the drinking water laboratory, and will mentor and supervise graduate and undergraduate research students.

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Outreach

Fall Seminar Series

CBE graduate students organize a series of seminar speakers to talk about their work. Recent seminars are listed below.

Interactions of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20 and toxic heavy metals (Pb, Cu, and U)
by Brent Peyton, Associate Director, Center for Multiphase Environmental Research, Dept, Chemical Engineering, Washington State University, October 7, 2004

Atomic force microscopy as a tool in the determination of nano-scale adhesion and elastic properties of materials from single molecules to live microorganisms
by Dr. Recep Avc, Director of ICAL, October 14, 2004

Biofilm on plant surfaces
by Cindy Morris, Visiting Scientist, INRA - Avignon, France, October 21, 2004

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and alginate characteristics
by Mike Franklin, MSU-Microbiology, October 28, 2004

See the Fall Semester Seminar Series at: http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/whats_new/Fall04_Seminar_Series.htm

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CBE People in Action

Bill Costerton and Patrick M. Norris presented, "New Methods for the Control of the Biofilms that Cause Device-Related Infections," The 7th New Jersey Symposium on Biomaterials Science, New Brunswick, NJ, October 21, 2004
See symposium program at: http://www.njbiomaterials.org/symposium2004/agenda1.html

Bill Costerton presented, "Biofilms: Historical Perspectives and Overview," Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons: Carl T. Brighton Annual Workshop, Tampa, FL, November-11-14, 2004

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Web Watch

BiofilmsOnline.com

See the BiofilmsOnline.com November issue at http://www.BiofilmsOnline.com.

Subscribe to the bi-weekly newsletter by registering at: http://www.biofilmsonline.com/cgi-bin/biofilmsonline/newsletter_signup.html

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Newsletter Listserve

The CBE News Update is a listserve newsletter. If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe from the listserve, follow the directions at the following CBE website.

http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/subscribe.htm

An alternative to subscribing to the listserve is to view the CBE News Update on our web page at http://www.erc.montana.edu/Ind-Col99-SW/Current_Newsletter/default.htm. Newsletter archives can be found at http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/index.htm.

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