Biofilm Formation Ability of Arcobacter-like and Campylobacter Strains under Different Conditions and on Food Processing Materials

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni is the most frequent cause of bacterial gastrointestinal food-borne infection worldwide. The transmission of Campylobacter and Arcobacter-like species is often made possible by their ability to adhere to various abiotic surfaces. This study is focused on monitoring the biofilm ability of 69 strains of Campylobacter spp. and lesser described species of the Arcobacteraceae family isolated from food, water, and clinical samples within the Czech Republic. Biofilm formation was monitored and evaluated under an aerobic/microaerophilic atmosphere after cultivation for 24 or 72 h depending on the surface material. An overall higher adhesion ability was observed in arcobacters. A chi-squared test showed no association between the origin of the strains and biofilm activity (p > 0.05). Arcobacter-like species are able to form biofilms under microaerophilic and aerobic conditions; however, they prefer microaerophilic environments. Biofilm formation has already been demonstrated at refrigerator temperatures (5 °C). Arcobacters also showed higher biofilm formation ability at the temperature of 30 °C. This is in contrast to Campylobacter jejuni NP 2896, which showed higher biofilm formation ability at temperatures of 5–30 °C. Overall, the results demonstrated the biofilm formation ability of many strains, which poses a considerable risk to the food industry, medical practice, and human health.

In Vitro Activity of Water Extracts of Olive Oil against Planktonic Cells and Biofilm Formation of Arcobacter-like Species

“…In the literature, the biofilm formation ability of Arcobacter -like strains has been confirmed by many studies [ 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Biofilm activity differs among strains, and the environment also has a great influence on biofilm formation [ 35 ].…”

The Effect of Antibiotics on Planktonic Cells and Biofilm Formation Ability of Collected Arcobacter-like Strains and Strains Isolated within the Czech Republic

“…The influence of the environment is not only fundamental to the planktonic cells of microorganisms, but also for biofilm formation [ 34 ]. In the literature, Arcobacter -like strains are generally described as weak biofilm producers [ 14 , 16 , 35 ]. However, our results show that some arcobacters are capable of intensive biofilm formation, even in the presence of antibiotics (e.g., Pseudarcobacter defluvii LMG 25694; see Figure 2 ).…”

“…However, our results show that some arcobacters are capable of intensive biofilm formation, even in the presence of antibiotics (e.g., Pseudarcobacter defluvii LMG 25694; see Figure 2 ). This fact could be explained by the higher biofilm formation in response to stress [ 16 ]. In contrast, many studies have shown that antibiotics at sub-MIC concentrations can significantly induce biofilm formation in a variety of bacterial strains in vitro [ 32 ].…”

“…There were 8 replicate wells in each experiment, experiments were independently repeated 3 times. The biofilm formation level of the Arcobacter -like strains was categorized according to a previously described classification system [ 16 ] as non-adherent (OD ≤ OD C ) or biofilm-forming strains (OD > OD C ), where ODC (cut-off OD) is defined as three standard deviations above the mean OD of the negative control (blank value). The measured and calculated OD/OD C (0.111/0.120) values were the same for all measurements.…”

“…Several genes are considered to be important for virulence, due to their homologs with virulence genes in other pathogenic bacteria [ 13 ]. The virulence factors also include the ability to adhere to various surfaces and biofilm formation [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. These bacteria are implicated as causative agents of diarrhea, mastitis, and abortion in animals, while causing bacteremia, endocarditis, peritonitis, gastroenteritis, and diarrhea in humans.…”