BIOFILM- Bonus Activity

Sean B. Sarigumba September 2, 2020

Level 2 Section A Microbiology and Parasitology

QUESTION:

Human condition that involve biofilm-producing bacterial are of considerable pathogenic. Discuss
biofilm-producing bacteria, its complex relationships and reasons why they are pathogenic, and you can
earn additional points.

A common misconception regarding single-celled microorganisms is that bacteria solely exist as

an individual microorganism, which plays a specific role in its environment. In truth, it is exceptionally
rare to find a specific environmental niche wherein only one type of microbe is present. In nature,
single-celled microorganisms such as bacteria are often organized into complex communities and
aggregates of various microbes, typically known as "biofilms." These microorganisms have a natural
tendency to accumulate on a wide variety of surfaces, and they range from household and industrial
pipes or the slippery coat of a rock in a stream to plant and animal tissues such dental plaques, bones,
and heart valves. These biofilms are virtually everywhere, and the relative cohesion of these microbes
enables the exchange of substrates, the efficient distribution of metabolic products, which include the
removal of toxic wastes so that the various bacterial species can support each other. Furthermore, these
biofilms' structure protects the microorganisms from attack by antibiotics, disinfectants, and certain
types of host defense mechanisms.

Figure A. Schematic Representation of Biofilm Formation

Let us take penicillin as an example. Penicillin is an antibiotic that prevents bacteria from
producing cell walls. In a laboratory setting, penicillin has the ability to terminate growing cells of a
specific microbe. However, it does not kill any cells of that organism within the biofilm that are not.
Furthermore, the penicillinases being produced by organisms within the biofilm will inactivate the
penicillin molecule and safeguard the other microorganisms within the biofilm from the effects of
penicillin. Therefore, some bacteria that are present within the biofilm protect other species of bacteria
within the biofilm. Biofilms are also protected from antimicrobial agents due to decreased penetration
or diffusion of the agents into the biofilms.

A separate instance of how bacteria within a biofilm cooperate with each other incorporates the
metabolism of nutrients. In certain biofilms, bacteria of different species work together in breaking
down nutrients that any single species cannot break down by itself. In some cases, one species within a
biofilm feeds on the metabolic wastes of another. Biofilms are resistant to certain types of host defense
mechanisms. For example, it is difficult for leukocytes to penetrate biofilms, and those that penetrate
seem less efficient at phagocytizing bacteria within the biofilm. Although the macrophages and
leukocytes cannot ingest the bacteria, they become activated and secrete toxic compounds that damage
nearby healthy host tissues. It is a phenomenon which has been referred to as "frustrated
phagocytosis". The biofilms also appear to suppress phagocytes' ability to kill any biofilm bacteria that
they do manage to ingest.

In this regard, biofilms play an important role in pathogenesis and can potentially affect human
health and immunity systems both in a constructive and destructive manner. One such instance of a
positive effect includes the biofilms of commensal bacteria known as Staphylococcus epidermidis. These
microorganisms can impede the colonization of potentially pathogenic bacteria through the stimulation
of host-cell immune defenses and the prevention of adhesion. However, biofilms are more often
associated with human pathogenic diseases, and one common example is cystic fibrosis, the most
frequently passed genetic disorder in Western Europe. Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients suffer from chronic P.
aeruginosa infections. When infecting the CF lung, P. aeruginosa undergoes a characteristic transition
from an acute virulent pathogen to a CF-adapted pathogen, allowing it to persist in the lung for years or
even decades.

Figure B. Schematic Representation of a Cystic Fibrosis Lung

 Figure C. Schematic Representation of Dental Plaque

This is due to the overproduction of the matrix polysaccharide alginate, leading to the formation of a
mucoid biofilm that tolerates antibiotics, components of both the innate and adaptive immune
response, and resists phagocytosis. The persistence of these mucoid biofilms within the CF lung leads to
the development of a distinct antibody response. These factors prompt the chronic inflammation
mediated by granulocytes and results in severe damage to the lung tissue of CF patients (Figure B). The
second example of biofilms in human health is dental plaque, which is a potential precursor to dental
caries. Eating and drinking fermentable carbohydrates, especially food and drinks that are full of sugar,
help facilitate the increased production and secretion of organic acids by the bacteria found in dental
plaque. If left untreated, the biofilm's increased acidification leads to the demineralization of the enamel
and the formation of dental caries (see Figure C).

References:

Hollmann, B. (n.d.). Biofilms and their role in pathogenesis. Retrieved September 02, 2020, from
https://www.immunology.org/public-information/bitesized-immunology/pathogens-and-
disease/biofilms-and-their-role-in-pathogenesis

Feeda. (n.d.). Candida albicans Staphylococcus aureus coagulase-negative staphylococci: Course Hero.
Retrieved September 02, 2020, from https://www.coursehero.com/file/p96bj50/Candida-albicans-
Staphylococcus-aureus-coagulase-negative-staphylococci/

Burton's Microbiology For The Health Sciences. (n.d.). Retrieved September 02, 2020, from
https://baixardoc.com/documents/burtons-microbiology-for-the-health-sciences-5d094a22e4ff5