Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
J Appl Microbiol. 1998 Dec;85 Suppl 1:1S-12S. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1998.tb05277.x.
Drinking water systems are known to harbour biofilms, even though these environments are oligotrophic and often contain a disinfectant. Control of these biofilms is important for aesthetic and regulatory reasons. Study of full-scale systems has pointed to several factors controlling biofilm growth, but cause-and-effect relationships can only be established in controlled reactors. Using laboratory and pilot distribution systems, along with a variety of bacterial detection techniques, insights have been gained on the structure and behaviour of biofilms in these environments. Chlorinated biofilms differ in structure from non-chlorinated biofilms, but often the number of cells is similar. The number and level of cellular activity is dependent on the predominant carbon source. There is an interaction between carbon sources, the biofilm and the type of pipe material, which complicates the ability to predict biofilm growth. Humic substances, which are known to sorb to surfaces, appear to be a usable carbon source for biofilms. The finding offers an explanation for many of the puzzling observations in full scale and laboratory studies on oligotrophic biofilm growth. Pathogens can persist in these environments as well. Detection requires methods that do not require culturing.
饮用水系统中存在生物膜，尽管这些环境是寡营养的，并且通常含有消毒剂。出于美观和监管原因，控制这些生物膜非常重要。对全尺寸系统的研究指出了控制生物膜生长的几个因素，但只有在受控反应器中才能建立因果关系。通过使用实验室和试点分配系统以及各种细菌检测技术，我们对这些环境中生物膜的结构和行为有了更深入的了解。氯化生物膜的结构与非氯化生物膜不同，但通常细胞数量相似。细胞数量和活性水平取决于主要的碳源。碳源、生物膜和管道材料类型之间存在相互作用，这使得预测生物膜生长变得复杂。腐殖质是一种已知会被表面吸附的物质，似乎是生物膜可用的碳源。这一发现解释了许多在贫营养生物膜生长的全尺寸和实验室研究中令人困惑的观察结果。病原体也可以在这些环境中存活。检测需要不需要培养的方法。
