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A Two-Dimensional Multiphase Model of Biofilm Formation in Microfluidic Chambers

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Abstract

The bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa is the causal agent of many pathological conditions of economically important agricultural crops. There is no known cure for X. fastidiosa diseases, and management of the problem is based solely in controlling the population of insect vectors, which is somewhat effective. The bacterium causes disease by forming biofilms inside the vascular system of the plant, a process that is poorly understood. In microfluidic chambers, used as artificial xylem vessels, this bacterium has been observed to reproducibly cluster into a distinct, regular pattern of aggregates, spatially separated by channels of non-biofilm components. We develop a multiphase model in two dimensions, which recapitulates this spatial patterning, suggesting that bacterial growth and attachment/detachment processes are strongly influential modulators of these patterns. This indicates plausible strategies, such as the addition of metals and chelators, for mitigating the severity of diseases induced by this bacterial pathogen.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by NSF Grant No. 1122378. MW is supported by an IRACDA Fellowship at the University of Michigan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Mark Whidden

  2. Department of Mathematics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Nick Cogan

  3. Department of Mathematics, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA

    Matt Donahue

  4. Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA

    Fernando Navarrete & Leonardo De La Fuente

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  1. Mark Whidden
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  2. Nick Cogan
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  3. Matt Donahue
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  4. Fernando Navarrete
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  5. Leonardo De La Fuente
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Correspondence to Mark Whidden.

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Whidden, M., Cogan, N., Donahue, M. et al. A Two-Dimensional Multiphase Model of Biofilm Formation in Microfluidic Chambers. Bull Math Biol 77, 2161–2179 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-015-0115-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-015-0115-3

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