Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Nebraska 68933-0166, USA.
J Food Prot. 2013 Sep;76(9):1513-22. doi: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-13-077.
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium are important foodborne pathogens capable of forming single-species biofilms or coexisting in multispecies biofilm communities. Bacterial biofilm cells are usually more resistant to sanitization than their planktonic counterparts, so these foodborne pathogens in biofilms pose a serious food safety concern. We investigated how the coexistence of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium strains would affect bacterial planktonic growth competition and mixed biofilm composition. Furthermore, we also investigated how mixed biofilm formation would affect bacterial resistance to common sanitizers. Salmonella Typhimurium strains were able to outcompete E. coli strains in the planktonic growth phase; however, mixed biofilm development was highly dependent upon companion strain properties in terms of the expression of bacterial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), including curli fimbriae and exopolysaccharide cellulose. The EPS-producing strains with higher biofilm-forming abilities were able to establish themselves in mixed biofilms more efficiently. In comparison to single-strain biofilms, Salmonella or E. coli strains with negative EPS expression obtained significantly enhanced resistance to sanitization by forming mixed biofilms with an EPS-producing companion strain of the other species. These observations indicate that the bacterial EPS components not only enhance the sanitizer resistance of the EPS-producing strains but also render protections to their companion strains, regardless of species, in mixed biofilms. Our study highlights the potential risk of cross-contamination by multispecies biofilms in food safety and the need for increased attention to proper sanitization practices in food processing facilities.
产志贺毒素大肠杆菌 O157:H7 和沙门氏菌血清型鼠伤寒杆菌是重要的食源性病原体,能够形成单一种群生物膜或共存于多物种生物膜群落中。细菌生物膜细胞通常比浮游细胞更能抵抗消毒,因此这些生物膜中的食源性病原体对食品安全构成了严重威胁。我们研究了大肠杆菌 O157:H7 和鼠伤寒沙门氏菌菌株的共存如何影响细菌浮游生长竞争和混合生物膜组成。此外,我们还研究了混合生物膜形成如何影响细菌对常见消毒剂的抗性。鼠伤寒沙门氏菌菌株能够在浮游生长阶段胜过大肠杆菌菌株;然而,混合生物膜的形成高度依赖于伴生菌株的性质,包括菌体外多糖物质(EPS)的表达,包括卷曲菌毛和胞外多糖纤维素。具有更高生物膜形成能力的 EPS 产生菌株能够更有效地在混合生物膜中建立自己的地位。与单菌株生物膜相比,具有负 EPS 表达的沙门氏菌或大肠杆菌菌株通过与另一种 EPS 产生伴生菌株形成混合生物膜,获得了显著增强的消毒剂抗性。这些观察结果表明,细菌 EPS 成分不仅增强了 EPS 产生菌株的消毒剂抗性,而且为其伴生菌株提供了保护,无论物种如何,在混合生物膜中都是如此。我们的研究强调了多物种生物膜在食品安全方面可能存在交叉污染的风险,以及需要在食品加工设施中更加重视适当的消毒实践。