Unravelling the core microbiome of biofilms in cooling tower systems.
L Di GregorioV TandoiR CongestriSimona RossettiF Di PippoPublished in: Biofouling (2017)
In this study, next generation sequencing and catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization, combined with confocal microscopy, were used to provide insights into the biodiversity and structure of biofilms collected from four full-scale European cooling systems. Water samples were also analyzed to evaluate the impact of suspended microbes on biofilm formation. A common core microbiome, containing members of the families Sphingomonadaceae, Comamonadaceae and Hyphomicrobiaceae, was found in all four biofilms, despite the water of each coming from different sources (river and groundwater). This suggests that selection of the pioneer community was influenced by abiotic factors (temperature, pH) and tolerances to biocides. Members of the Sphingomonadaceae were assumed to play a key role in initial biofilm formation. Subsequent biofilm development was driven primarily by light availability, since biofilms were dominated by phototrophs in the two studied 'open' systems. Their interactions with other microbial populations then shaped the structure of the mature biofilm communities analyzed.
Keyphrases
- candida albicans
- biofilm formation
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- staphylococcus aureus
- drinking water
- healthcare
- mental health
- microbial community
- minimally invasive
- copy number
- water quality
- transcription factor
- dna methylation
- health risk assessment
- single molecule
- arabidopsis thaliana
- energy transfer
- genome wide analysis