Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium.
Biomed Res Int. 2013;2013:470867. doi: 10.1155/2013/470867. Epub 2013 Aug 6.
Since many years, membrane biofouling has been described as the Achilles heel of membrane fouling. In the present study, an ecological assay was performed using model systems with increasing complexity: a monospecies assay using Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Escherichia coli separately, a duospecies assay using both microorganisms, and a multispecies assay using activated sludge with or without spiked P. aeruginosa. The microbial adhesion and biofilm formation were evaluated in terms of bacterial cell densities, species richness, and bacterial community composition on polyvinyldifluoride, polyethylene, and polysulfone membranes. The data show that biofouling formation was strongly influenced by the kind of microorganism, the interactions between the organisms, and the changes in environmental conditions whereas the membrane effect was less important. The findings obtained in this study suggest that more knowledge in species composition and microbial interactions is needed in order to understand the complex biofouling process. This is the first report describing the microbial interactions with a membrane during the biofouling development.
多年以来，膜生物污染一直被描述为膜污染的阿喀琉斯之踵。在本研究中，采用模型系统进行了生态测定，模型系统的复杂性逐渐增加：分别使用铜绿假单胞菌或大肠杆菌进行单物种测定，使用两种微生物进行双物种测定，以及使用活性污泥进行多物种测定，无论是否有添加的铜绿假单胞菌。通过细菌细胞密度、物种丰富度和聚偏二氟乙烯、聚乙烯和聚砜膜上的细菌群落组成来评估微生物的粘附和生物膜形成。数据表明，生物污垢的形成受到微生物种类、生物之间的相互作用以及环境条件变化的强烈影响，而膜的影响则不那么重要。本研究的结果表明，为了理解复杂的生物污染过程，需要更多关于物种组成和微生物相互作用的知识。这是第一个描述在生物污染发展过程中膜与微生物相互作用的报告。
