Growth of environment-specific biofilms using the BioFlux system

Biofilms are composed of one or more types of microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, or protists which are encapsulated in an extracellular matrix to form communities that can interact with each other. The majority of microorganisms exist in biofilms that can be found throughout nature; however, many microorganisms can become sources of infection or disease. Common examples of harmful biofilms include dental plaque, chronic wound infections, food-spoiling bacterium, and opportunistic pathogen growth on medical devices and implants. To understand how to treat and prevent biofilms, research on how they develop and grow is necessary. Because biofilms form and thrive in environments where they are periodically or continuously suffused with water or other nutrient-rich liquids, static cell culture models do not accurately reflect the true mature structure and function of biofilms in a “real world” environment.
Here we describe co-culture experimentation with Streptococcus oralis and Actinomyces naeslundii for the formation of a mutualistic biofilm in saliva, as well as the growth of a biofilm from the environmental bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, a close relative of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
This application note demonstrates the ability of the BioFlux system to form environment-specific biofilms under shear flow conditions.