Dear Biofilmers,
I want to first add my thanks to everyone for beginning this new discussion.
To add to Cindy's comments, I would add a couple of points to the first two
issues that have been raised:
3) Biological nature of the attachment substratum.
4) Microbe-microbe interactions.
With respect to point 3, there are a number of studies that have shown that
plants are able to influence the microbial community composition associated
with roots (rhizosphere) and leaves (phyllosphere). A number of chemicals
including nutrients (sugars, amino acids, etc) and signal molecules (quorum
signal analogues) have been shown to influence microbial adhesion and
biofilm formation. I would assume that similar scenarios may take place in
animals.
With respect to point 4, there is at least one environment (oral cavity) in
which microbe-microbe interactions have been shown to play a fundamental
role in biofilm formation. Paul Kollenbrander and others have shown that
Streptococcus mutans tooth colonization occurs only in the presence of a
primary colonizing organism (whose name I can't recall at present).
Best wishes,
Bob McLean
>Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 15:14:01 +0100
>From: Cindy.Morris at avignon.inra.fr (Cindy Morris)
>Subject: Re: Infuences in Biofilm formation
>Sender: owner-biofilms at hgmp.mrc.ac.uk
>To: biofilms at net.bio.net
>Organization: BIOSCI/MRC Human Genome Mapping Project Resource Centre
>X-Razor-id: 72317c8a588679190290d0b3a4914980e1d22cc6
>Newsgroups: bionet.microbiology.biofilms
>Original-recipient: rfc822;rm12 at swt.edu
>
>This is really an open question, and it might stimulate good discussion -=20
>something that we haven't seen in awhile on this mailing list. The answer=20
>is probably highly dependant on the ecosystem and micro-organisms involved,=
>=20
>and the influence of "1" is probably difficult to separate from that of=20
>"2". Perhaps the reponses to this question could be formulated with=20
>specific reference to precise models. This promises to be interesting?
>
>Cindy Morris
>INRA-Avignon
>*****************
>
>At 03:34 18/09/2002 +0100, D Ewanishin a =E9crit:
>What would be more influential in biofilm formation;
>1.The physical environment?
>2. The solid substrate on which it forms?
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>Cindy E. Morris
>INRA - Avignon
>Station de Pathologie Vegetale
>B.P. 94
>84143 Montfavet cedex
>France
>(street address for express delivery: INRA, Station de Pathologie Vegetale,=
>=20
>Domaine St. Maurice, Allee des Chenes, 84140 Montfavet)
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>morris at avignon.inra.fr
>
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>
>
___________________________________________________________________________
R.J.C. (Bob) McLean, Ph.D.
Dept. Biology
Southwest Texas State University
601 University Drive
San Marcos, Tx 78666
USA
(512)245-3365 phone
(512)245-8713 FAX
Email: RM12 at swt.edu
New website!
http://www.bio.swt.edu/~micro/mclean/mclean.html
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