Using Microbial Genomics to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Silver to Prevent Biofilm Formation

Abstract

Increasingly, monovalent silver cations are being considered as an alternative biocide in water distribution systems. The objective of this study was to understand how bacteria respond when challenged with silver. The approach used included cultivation of Escherichia coli in planktonic and sessile phases, exposing biomass to a solution of silver nitrate and evaluating genetic responses using commercial Affymetrix microarrays. Experimental results showed that lower pH enhanced silver toxicity in a dose-dependent manner. Sessile biomass demonstrated resistance to silver, and the microarray results indicated that the genetic mechanism for silver resistance was similar to the mechanism for copper resistance including upregulation of efflux pumps as well as upregulation of metal oxidoreductases. The gene, copA, a P-type ATPase efflux flux, was upregulated in response to silver exposure, and the gene of CusCFBA, a Cu(I) efflux pump, was also upregulated. The gene of CueO, a robust cuprous oxidase, was also upregulated and may have reduced silver toxicity through oxidation of silver ions. This study is significant because it provides baseline data to understand the genetic response of bacteria to silver biocides.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Bacteria; Biofilms; Cultivation; Escherichia coli; Microarrays; Silver; Water analysis; Water distribution systems; Biofilm annular reactor; Silver rsistance; Silver toxicity; Bacteriology; adenosine triphosphatase; biocide; copper; copper exporting adenosine triphosphatase; oxidoreductase; biofilm; biomass; bioreactor; coliform bacterium; genomics; oxidation; plankton; sessile species; toxicity; clinical effectiveness; conference paper; DNA microarray; effusion; gene expression; microbial genetics; molecular cloning; nonhuman; pH; photooxidation; RNA extraction; species cultivation; statistical analysis; upregulation; Bioreactors; Disinfectants; DNA; Bacterial; Escherichia coli Proteins; Gene Expression Profiling; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Silver Nitrate; Microarray; Silver resistance

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

978-1843395935

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0273-1223

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2007 IWA Publishing, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Apr 2007

Link to Full Text

Share

 
COinS