Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Interspecies bacterial interactions in biofilms

  • Published:
Journal of Industrial Microbiology

Abstract

Interactions among bacterial populations can have a profound influence on the structure and physiology of microbial communities. Interspecies microbial interactions begin to influence a biofilm during the initial stages of formation, bacterial attachment and surface colonization, and continue to influence the structure and physiology of the biofilm as it develops. Although the majority of research on bacterial interactions has utilized planktonic communities, the characteristics of biofilm growth (cell positions that are relatively stable and local areas of hindered diffusion) suggest that interspecies interactions may be more significant in biofilms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alleman JE, JA Veil and JT Canaday. 1982. Scanning electron microscope evaluation of rotating biological contactor biofilm. Water Res 16: 543–550.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Banks MK and JD Bryers. 1991. Bacterial species dominance within a binary culture biofilm. Appl Environ Microbiol 57: 1974–1979.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Beaudette LA. 1994. The effect of methanogenesis on the consortial degradation of cellulose. PhD thesis, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Belas MR and RR Colwell. 1982. Adsorption kinetics of laterally and polarly fragellated vibrio. J Bacteriol 151: 1568–1580.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Bochem HP, SM Schoberth, B Sprey and P Wengler. 1982. Thermophilic biomethanation of acetic acid: morphology and ultrastructure of a granular consortium. Can J Microbiol 28: 500–510.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Bull AT and JH Slater. 1982. Microbial interactions and community structure. In: Microbial Interactions and Communities (Bull AT and JH Slater, eds), pp 13–44, Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Cheng KC, CW Forsberg, H Minato and JW Costerton. 1990. Microbial ecology and physiology of feed degradation within the rumen. In: Physiological Aspects of Digestion and Metabolism in Ruminants (Tsuda T, Y Sasaki and R Kawashima, eds), pp 596–624, Academic Press, Orlando, Florida.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Cheng KJ, TA McAllister, H Kudo, CW Forsberg and JW Costerton. 1991. Microbial strategy in feed digestion. In: Recent Advances on the Nutrition of Herbivores (Ho YW, HK Wong, N Abdullah and Z Tajuddin, eds), pp 181–187, Malaysian Society of Animal Production, Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Cheng KJ, CS Stewart, D Dinsdale and JW Costerton. 1983/84. Electron microscopy of bacteria involved in the digestion of plant cell walls. Anim Feed Sci Tech 10: 93–120.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Ciardi JE, GFA McCray, PE Kolenbrander and A Lau. 1987. Cell-tocell interaction ofStreptococcus sanguis andPropionibacterium acnes on saliva-coated hydroxyappetite. Infect Immun 55: 1441–1446.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Conrad R, TJ Phelps and JG Zeikus. 1985. Gas metabolism in support of juxtapositioning of hydrogen-producing and methanogenic bacteria in sewage sludge and lake sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol 50: 595–601.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Costerton JW, Z Lewandowski, D de Beer, DE Caldwell and GA James. 1994. Biofilms, the customized microniche. J Bacteriol 176: 2137–2142.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Cowan MM, TM Warren and M Fletcher 1991. Mixed-species colonization of solid surfaces in laboratory biofilms. Biofouling 3: 23–34.

    Google Scholar 

  14. de Beer D, P Stoodley, F Roe and Z Lewandowski. 1993. Effects of biofilm structures on oxygen distribution and mass transport. Biotech Bioeng 43: 1131–1138.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Fredrickson AG. 1977. Behavior of mixed cultures of microorganisms. Ann Rev Microbiol 31: 63–87.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Gibbons RJ, EC Moreno and I Etherdan. 1983. Concentration-dependent multiple binding sites on saliva treated hydroxyapatite forStreptococcus sanguis. Infect Immun 39: 280–289.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Greenberg EP and E Canale-Parola. 1977. Motility of flagellated bacteria in viscous environments. J Bacteriol 132: 356–358.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Haack TK and GA Mcfeters. 1982. Nutritional relationships among microorganisms in an epilithic biofilm community. Microb Ecol 8: 115–126.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Hamilton WA. 1985. Sulphate-reducing bacteria and anaerobic corrosion. Ann Rev Microbiol 39: 195–217.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Jones AK. 1982. The interactions of algae and bacteria. In: Microbial Interactions and Communities (Bull AT and JH Slater, eds), pp 189–248, Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Kolenbrander PE. 1989. Surface recognition among oral bacteria: multigeneric coaggregations and their mediators. CRC Crit Rev Microbiol 17: 137–159.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Korber DK, JR Lawrence and DE Caldwell. 1994. Effect of motility on surface colonization and reproductive success ofPseudomonas fluorescens in dual-dilution continuous culture and batch culture systems. Appl Environ Microbiol 60: 1421–1429.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Kudo H, KJ Cheng and JW Costerton. 1987. Interactions betweenTreponema bryantii and cellulolytic bacteria in thein vivo degradation of straw cellulose. Can J Microbiol 33: 244–248.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Lamont RJ and B Rosan. 1990. Adherence of mutans streptococci to other oral bacteria. Infect Immun 58: 1738–1743.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Lappin HM, MP Greaves and JH Slater. 1985. Degradation of the herbicide mecoprop (2-(2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy) propionic acid) by a synergistic microbial community. Appl Environ Microbiol 49: 429–433.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Lawrence JR, DR Korber, BD Hoyle, JW Costerton and DE Caldwell. 1991. Optical sectioning of microbial biofilms. J Bacteriol 173: 6558–6567.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Lawrence JR, GM Wolfaardt and DR Korber. 1994. Determination of diffusion coefficients in biofilms by confocal laser microscopy. Appl Enviroh Microbiol 60: 1166–1173.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Lee NM and T Welander. 1994. Influence of predators on nitrification in aerobic biofilm processes. Wat Sci Technol 29: 355–363.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Lee W, Z Lewandowski, M Morrison, WG Characklis, R Avci and PH Nielsen. 1993. Corrosion of mild steel underneath aerobic biofilms containing sulfate reducing bacteria. Biofouling 7: 197–239.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Lewandowski Z. 1994. Dissolved oxygen gradients near microbial colonized surfaces. In: Biofouling and Biocorrosion in Industrial Water Systems (Geesey G, Z Lewandowski and H Flemming, eds), pp 175–188, Lewis Publishers, Boco Raton, FL.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Lewis PM, 1967. A note on the continuous flow culture of mixed populations of lactobacilli and streptococci. J Appl Bacteriol 30: 406–409.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. MacLeod FA, SR Guiot and JW Costerton. 1990. Layered structure of bacterial aggregates produced in an upflow anerobic sludge bed and filter reactor. Appl Environ Microbiol 56: 1598–1607.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Marshall KC (1989). Cynobacterial-heterotrophic bacterial interaction. In: Microbial Mats: Physiological Ecology of Benthic Microbial Communities (Cohen, Y and E Rosenberg, eds), pp 239–245, ASM Press Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  34. McEldowney S and M Fletcher. 1987. Adhesion of bacteria from mixed cell suspension to solid surfaces. Arch Microbiol 148: 57–62.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Meers JL. 1973. Growth of bacteria in mixed cultures. CRC Crit Rev Microbiol 2: 139–184.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Odenyo AA, RI Mackie, DA Stahl and BA White. 1994. The use of 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes to study competition between ruminal fibrolytic bacteria: development of probes forRuminococcus species and evidence for bacteriocin production. Appl Environ Microbiol 60: 3688–3696.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Odenyo AA, RI Mackie, DA Stahl and BA White. 1994. The use of 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes to study competition between ruminal fibrolytic bacteria: pure-culture studies with cellulose and alkaline peroxide-treated wheat straw. Appl Env Microbiol 60: 3697–3703.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Paul JH and WH Jeffrey. 1985. Evidence for separate adhesion mechanisms for hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces inVibrio proteolytica. Appl Environ Microbiol 50: 431–437.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Pavlostathis SG TL Miller and MJ Wolin. 1990. Cellulose fermentation by continuous cultures ofRuminococcus albus andMethanobrevibacter smithii. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 33: 109–116.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Ritz HL. 1967. Microbiol population shifts in developing human dental plaque. Arch Oral Biol 12: 1561–1568.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Ritz HL. 1969. Fluorescent antibody staining ofNeisseria, Streptococcus andVeillonella in frozen sections of human dental plaque. Arch Oral Biol 14: 1073–1083.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Robinson RW, DE Akin, RA Nordstedt and MV Thomas. 1984. Light and electron microscopic examinations of methane-producing biofilms from anaerobic fixed-bed reactors. Appl Environ Microbiol 48: 127–136.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Rozgaj R and M Glancer-Soljan. 1992. Total degradation of 6-aminon-apthalene-2-sulfonic acid by a mixed culture consisting of different bacterial genera. FEMS Microb Ecol 86: 229–235.

    Google Scholar 

  44. Scheifinger CC, B Linehan and MJ Wolin 1975. H2 production bySelenomonas ruminantium in the absence and presence of methanogenic bacteria. Appl Microbiol 29: 480–483.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Schneider RP and KC Marshall. 1994. Retention of the gram-negative marine bacterium SW8 on surfaces: effects of microbial physiology, substratum nature and conditioning films. Colloids Surfaces B. Biointerfaces 2: 387–396.

    Google Scholar 

  46. Schwartz S, RP Ellen and DA Grove. 1987.Bacteroides gingivalis-Actinomyces viscosus cohesive interactions as measured by a quantitative binding assay. Infect Immun 55: 2391–2397.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Siebel MA and WG Characklis. 1991. Observations of binary population biofilms. Biotech Bioeng 37: 778–789.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Stewart PS, BM Peyton, WJ Drury and R Murga. 1993. Quantitative observations of heterogenieties inPseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Appl Environ Microbiol 59: 327–329.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Stoodley P, D de Beer and Z Lewandowsky. 1994. Liquid flow in biofilm systems. Appl Environ Microbiol 60: 2711–2716.

    Google Scholar 

  50. Sturman PJ, WL Jones and WG Characklis. 1994. Interspecies competition in colonized porous pellets. Wat Res 28: 831–839.

    Google Scholar 

  51. Sutherland IW. 1983. Microbial exopolysaccharides—their role in microbial adhesion in aqueous systems. CRC Crit Rev Microbiol 10: 173–201.

    Google Scholar 

  52. Thiele JH, M Chartrain and JG Zeikus. 1988. Control of interspecies electron flow during anaerobic digestion: role of floc formation in syntrophic methanogenesis. Appl Environ Microbiol 54: 10–19.

    Google Scholar 

  53. Thiele JH and JG Zeikus. 1988. Control of interspecies electron flow during anaerobic digestion: significance of formate transfer versus hydrogen transfer during syntrophic methanogenesis in flocs. Appl Environ Microbiol 54: 20–29.

    Google Scholar 

  54. Weimer PJ. 1992. Cellulose degradation by ruminal microorganisms. Crit Rev Biotechnol 12: 189–223.

    Google Scholar 

  55. Whitman WB. 1985. Methanogenic bacteria. In: The Bacteria (Woese CR and RS Wolfe, eds), pp 3–84. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  56. Wolfaardt GM, JR Lawrence, RD Robarts, SJ Caldwell and DE Caldwell. 1994. Multicellular organization in a degradative biofilm community. Appl Environ Microbiol 60: 434–446.

    Google Scholar 

  57. Wolfaardt GM, JR Lawrence, RD Robarts and DE Caldwell. 1994. The role of interactions, sessile growth, and nutrient amendments on the degradative efficiency of a microbial consortium. Can J Microbiol 40: 331–340.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Wolin MJ and TL Miller. 1988. Microbe-microbe interactions. In: The Rumen Microbial Ecosystem (Hobson PN, ed), pp 343–385, Elsevier Science Publishers, New York.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    G A James

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    L Beaudette

  3. Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, 59717, Bozeman, Montana, USA

    G A James & J W Costerton

Authors
  1. G A James
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. L Beaudette
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J W Costerton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

James, G.A., Beaudette, L. & Costerton, J.W. Interspecies bacterial interactions in biofilms. Journal of Industrial Microbiology 15, 257–262 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01569978

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01569978

Keywords

Search

Navigation