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Microorganisms
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Biofilms and Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion: Recent Advances in Analysis, Detection...
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Biofilms and Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion: Recent Advances in Analysis, Detection and Mitigation

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 8044

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Laura L. Machuca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Curtin Corrosion Centre, WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
Interests: microbe-metal interactions; biofilms; biofilm Inhibition; bacterial quorum sensing; microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC); MIC inhibition; marine and deep-water corrosion; localized corrosion and corrosion resistant alloys (CRAs); environmentally friendly inhibitor compounds

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) involves the complex interaction of electrochemical, environmental, operational, and biological factors that often result in the substantial deterioration and corrosion of materials, leading to the premature failure of industrial equipment. This phenomenon costs industry billions of dollars annually. Undoubtedly, the main challenge in protecting equipment from MIC lies in how fast bacteria in fluids can form biofilms on surfaces.

Biofilms are communities of microorganisms attached to a surface and embedded in self-produced extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) manly composed of polysaccharides, proteins, lipids and extracellular DNA. The biofilm phenotype is the root cause for MIC, providing enhanced chemical tolerance compared to the planktonic lifestyle. Research has demonstrated that bacteria in biofilms can resist antimicrobial compounds at concentrations up to 1000 times higher than planktonic counterparts. Within biofilms, a variety of interactions including chemical and electrical signals, interspecies interactions, differentiation and the highly controlled expression of genes and proteins occur as a response to exposure conditions.

The application of advanced experimental and analytical methods to study biofilms on metals in combination with high-performance data analysis and bioinformatics tools have substantially improved our understanding of MIC processes. However, more research on multispecies biofilms is needed since most natural biofilms exist as heterogeneous communities, yet research is traditionally conducted using planktonic microbes or single-species biofilms that do not represent complex, naturally occurring biofilms. Likewise, studies on the effect of antimicrobial substances on the biofilm phenotype are urgently needed. The future holds great promise for this area of research, where MIC studies will demonstrate enhanced resolution at the molecular and biochemical levels, elucidate interspecies relationships and mechanisms of cell–cell and cell–metal interactions and determine how these processes are associated with corrosion and its inhibition. The outcome of these studies will greatly enhance our understanding of the ecological factors that drive community function in industrial biofilms. This Special Issue aims to provide advances in biofilm research relating to MIC and its mitigation.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions in the following areas:

  1. Biofilm formation on materials (both metallic and non-metallic): attachment processes, biofilm properties, structure, composition, and interactions with the environment.
  2. Biofilm research: analysis, methods and technologies.
  3. Multispecies biofilms, interspecies relationships and their effects on corrosion.
  4. Sensors and the early detection of biofilms.
  5. Biofilm interactions with antimicrobials.
  6. Innovative and eco-friendly approaches for biofilm inhibition.

Dr. Laura L. Machuca
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biofilms
  • materials
  • microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC)
  • biofilm inhibition
  • sensors
  • early detection

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 5863 KiB  
Communication
Synergistic Antibacterial Activity of Benzalkonium Bromide and Cu-Bearing Duplex Stainless Steel against Pseudomonas aeruginosa
by Xiaomeng Liu, Chengshuo Qiu, Mingxing Zhang, Enze Zhou, Dake Xu, Yongqiang Fan and Yongbo Song
Microorganisms 2023, 11(3), 711; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11030711 - 09 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1177
Abstract
The bactericide benzalkonium bromide is widely used to kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). However, the extensive use of benzalkonium bromide will enhance bacterial drug resistance and cause environmental pollution. In this study, benzalkonium bromide combined with Cu-bearing 2205 duplex [...] Read more.
The bactericide benzalkonium bromide is widely used to kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). However, the extensive use of benzalkonium bromide will enhance bacterial drug resistance and cause environmental pollution. In this study, benzalkonium bromide combined with Cu-bearing 2205 duplex stainless steel (2205-Cu DSS) was used to kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa; the germicidal rate of the combination of benzalkonium bromide and 2205-Cu DSS was 24.2% higher than that of using benzalkonium bromide alone, after five days. The antibacterial efficacy was evaluated using an antibacterial test and biofilm observation. The results showed that, in the presence of P. aeruginosa, the combination of 23.44 ppm benzalkonium bromide and 2205-Cu DSS showed the best antibacterial efficacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms and Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion: Recent Advances in Analysis, Detection and Mitigation)
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16 pages, 3889 KiB  
Article
Extracellular DNA: A Critical Aspect of Marine Biofilms
by Benjamin Tuck, Silvia J. Salgar-Chaparro, Elizabeth Watkin, Anthony Somers, Maria Forsyth and Laura L. Machuca
Microorganisms 2022, 10(7), 1285; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10071285 - 24 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1802
Abstract
Multispecies biofilms represent a pervasive threat to marine-based industry, resulting in USD billions in annual losses through biofouling and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Biocides, the primary line of defence against marine biofilms, now face efficacy and toxicity challenges as chemical tolerance by microorganisms [...] Read more.
Multispecies biofilms represent a pervasive threat to marine-based industry, resulting in USD billions in annual losses through biofouling and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Biocides, the primary line of defence against marine biofilms, now face efficacy and toxicity challenges as chemical tolerance by microorganisms increases. A lack of fundamental understanding of species and EPS composition in marine biofilms remains a bottleneck for the development of effective, target-specific biocides with lower environmental impact. In the present study, marine biofilms are developed on steel with three bacterial isolates to evaluate the composition of the EPSs (extracellular polymeric substances) and population dynamics. Confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and fluorimetry revealed that extracellular DNA (eDNA) was a critical structural component of the biofilms. Parallel population analysis indicated that all three strains were active members of the biofilm community. However, eDNA composition did not correlate with strain abundance or activity. The results of the EPS composition analysis and population analysis reveal that biofilms in marine conditions can be stable, well-defined communities, with enabling populations that shape the EPSs. Under marine conditions, eDNA is a critical EPS component of the biofilm and represents a promising target for the enhancement of biocide specificity against these populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms and Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion: Recent Advances in Analysis, Detection and Mitigation)
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13 pages, 3595 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Biocide Efficacy: Targeting Extracellular DNA for Marine Biofilm Disruption
by Benjamin Tuck, Elizabeth Watkin, Anthony Somers, Maria Forsyth and Laura L. Machuca
Microorganisms 2022, 10(6), 1227; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10061227 - 15 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1571
Abstract
Biofilm formation is a global health, safety and economic concern. The extracellular composition of deleterious multispecies biofilms remains uncanvassed, leading to an absence of targeted biofilm mitigation strategies. Besides economic incentives, drive also exists from industry and research to develop and apply environmentally [...] Read more.
Biofilm formation is a global health, safety and economic concern. The extracellular composition of deleterious multispecies biofilms remains uncanvassed, leading to an absence of targeted biofilm mitigation strategies. Besides economic incentives, drive also exists from industry and research to develop and apply environmentally sustainable chemical treatments (biocides); especially in engineered systems associated with the marine environment. Recently, extracellular DNA (eDNA) was implicated as a critical structural polymer in marine biofilms. Additionally, an environmentally sustainable, multi-functional biocide was also introduced to manage corrosion and biofilm formation. To anticipate biofilm tolerance acquisition to chemical treatments and reduce biocide application quantities, the present research investigated eDNA as a target for biofilm dispersal and potential enhancement of biocide function. Results indicate that mature biofilm viability can be reduced by two-fold using reduced concentrations of the biocide alone (1 mM instead of the recommended 10 mM). Importantly, through the incorporation of an eDNA degradation stage, biocide function could be enhanced by a further ~90% (one further log reduction in viability). Biofilm architecture analysis post-treatment revealed that endonuclease targeting of the matrix allowed greater biocide penetration, leading to the observed viability reduction. Biofilm matrix eDNA is a promising target for biofilm dispersal and antimicrobial enhancement in clinical and engineered systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms and Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion: Recent Advances in Analysis, Detection and Mitigation)
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12 pages, 6384 KiB  
Article
Corrosion of an AZ31B Magnesium Alloy by Sulfate-Reducing Prokaryotes in a Mudflat Environment
by Xiao Lan, Jie Zhang, Zaifeng Wang, Ruiyong Zhang, Wolfgang Sand, Liang Zhang, Jizhou Duan, Qingjun Zhu and Baorong Hou
Microorganisms 2022, 10(5), 839; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10050839 - 19 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1960
Abstract
To study the abnormal failure of magnesium anodes for buried pipelines in marine engineering in the unique environment of mudflats, a strain of a sulfate–reducing prokaryote (SRP) was isolated from pipe–laying soil, and identified as Desulfovibrio sp. HQM3. Weight–loss test, electrochemical measurements, SEM, [...] Read more.
To study the abnormal failure of magnesium anodes for buried pipelines in marine engineering in the unique environment of mudflats, a strain of a sulfate–reducing prokaryote (SRP) was isolated from pipe–laying soil, and identified as Desulfovibrio sp. HQM3. Weight–loss test, electrochemical measurements, SEM, EDS, XRD, and CLSM techniques were used to study the effect of corrosion on the AZ31B magnesium alloy. Under the influence of SRP, the magnesium alloy corroded severely at rates up to 1.31 mm/year in the mudflat environment. SRP accelerated corrosion by 0.3mm/year. Pitting occurred on the samples in both abiotic and biotic systems. The pitting depth reached 163.47 μm in the biotic system after 14 days. The main composition of a petal–like corrosion product was Mg(OH)2. The results show that a mudflat environment can lead to an accelerated corrosion of magnesium alloys. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms and Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion: Recent Advances in Analysis, Detection and Mitigation)
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