Resistance of a multiple-isolate marine culture to ultraviolet C irradiation: inactivation vs biofilm formation.

This study examined the resistance of a multiple-isolate native marine culture to UV-C irradiation, in terms of viability, vitality and the ability to form biofilm. Results of this study showed that even though most of the cells were inactivated both in single-isolate and in multiple-isolate cultures, still the multiple-isolate cultures manages to form biofilms, surprisingly with higher biomass than without irradiation. The significance of the study is in its conclusion that studies on UV-C irradiation of biofilm-forming model micro-organisms are not always applicable to natural multiple-species communities.