Original Article | 2005, Vol.27, No.6, pp. 1243-1252
Characteristics of biofilms associated with enhanced survival of Campylobacter jejuni
Nathanon Trachoo and Joseph F. Frank
pp. 1243 - 1252
Abstract
The biofilm microflora isolated from a chicken house (Y1 and W1) and a meat plant (Pseudomonas sp.) enhanced survival of C. jejuni in a low nutrient environment. We employed direct microscopic observation techniques to accomplish this objective. Staining with cyanoditolyltetrazolium chloride CTC) indicated reduced oxygen tension in the biofilm environment, which could enhance the survival of C. jejuni. W1 biofilms with more CTC staining showed greater enhancement of C. jejuni survival than did Pseudomonas sp biofilm with more area coverage. This may indicate that reduced oxygen in biofilm of W1 plays important role in enhanced survival of C. jejuni. The Pseudomonas sp. biofilm exhibited the most extensive surface coverage and was thinner (approximately 1 µm) than Y1 and W1 biofilms. Reconstructed three-dimensional photomicrographs showed only one layer of cells in Pseudomonas sp. biofilm, while biofilms of W1 and Y1 were more complex. They consisted of different sizes of microcolonies with different thickness and void spaces in between. These morphological and physiological properties of the biofilms may be associated with increased survival of C. jejuni by providing improved nutrient entrapment and environmental stress protection, but no characteristic by itself could explain enhanced survival, which appears to be a complex phenomenon.
