Testing antimicrobials against biofilm bacteria

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Date

2001

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Abstract

A continuous flow reactor system was developed to evaluate the efficacy of antimicrobial treatments against sulfate-reducing bacterial biofilms. An annular reactor operating at a nominal dilution rate of 0.5 h-1 was fed one-tenth strength Postgate C medium diluted in 1.5% NaCl and was inoculated with a mixed culture enriched from oilfield-produced water on the same medium. Thin biofilms developed in this reactor after 2 days of operation. The activity of these biofilms resulted in approximately 50 mg S l-1 of sulfide at steady state prior to biocide treatment. Biocide efficacy was quantified by recording the time required for sulfide production to recover following an antimicrobial treatment. In a control experiment in which pure water was applied, the time required to reach 10 mg S l-1 sulfide after the treatment was 1.7±1.2 h, whereas the time to reach this level of sulfide after a pulse dose of 500 mg l-1 glutaraldehyde was delayed to 61±11 h. Nitrite treatment suppressed sulfide production as long as the nitrite concentration remained above 15 mg N l-1. Sulfide production recovered more rapidly after nitrite treatment than it did after glutaraldehyde treatment.

Description

Keywords

Citation

Hamilton, Martin Alva, "Testing antimicrobials against biofilm bacteria", Journal of AOAC International, March 2002, 85(2):479-485.
Copyright (c) 2002-2022, LYRASIS. All rights reserved.