Abstract
PurposeGenerally, symbiotic marine bacteria are renowned for the synthesis of compounds with bioactive properties, and this has been documented in many previous studies. Therefore, the present study was aimed to isolate novel bacterial symbionts of gastropods that have the ability to synthesize bioactive compounds. These bioactive compounds could be used effectively as antibiofilm agents in order to overcome the problems associated with biofilm.MethodsThe bacteria associated with the surface of marine gastropods were isolated and characterized. Following this, the bacterial metabolites were extracted and their antibiofilm effect was evaluated on biofilm-forming bacteria on artificial substrates. Moreover, the biofilm-forming bacterium Alteromonas sp. was treated with the extracts of symbiotic bacteria in order to evaluate the influence of extracts over the synthesis of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Besides, the biologically active chemical constituents of the extracts were separated using thin-layer chromatography and subjected to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis for characterization.ResultsThree bacterial strains belonging to the species Bacillus firmus, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis were identified from the bacterial community associated with the gastropods. The antibiofilm assays revealed that the extract of three symbiotic bacteria significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the biofilm formation by the marine bacterium Alteromonas sp. on artificial materials. Also, the EPS synthesis by Alteromonas sp. was significantly inhibited due to symbiotic bacterial extract treatment. The chemical composition of the bioactive fraction isolated from the symbiotic bacteria extract revealed that most of the detected compounds were belonging to aromatic acid, fatty acid and carboxylic acid.ConclusionThe results of this study clearly revealed that the bacteria belonging to the above listed Bacillus species can be considered as a promising source of natural antibiofilm agents.
Highlights
Microorganisms generally occur in the environment as a community known as biofilm able to grow on abiotic and biotic surfaces
The antibiofilm activity of the bacterial (Bacillus species) symbionts of marine gastropods was assessed against biofilm-forming bacteria
Bacterial symbionts of marine gastropods The number of bacterial symbionts of gastropods isolated during this study was 65
Summary
Microorganisms generally occur in the environment as a community known as biofilm able to grow on abiotic and biotic surfaces. The chemical antifouling biocides were widely used to overcome the problems connected with biofilm, but the consistent usage led to the development of resistance among the biofilm-forming microbes and these biocides were found to be toxic to the environment (Simoes and Vieira, 2009). In this circumstance, for controlling the biofilms on structures submerged in marine waters, environmentally friendly antibiofilm molecules were considered as highly valuable and alternative to the chemical antibiofilm agents (Donlan, 2009; Estrella et al, 2009). The antibiofilm activity of the bacterial (Bacillus species) symbionts of marine gastropods was assessed against biofilm-forming bacteria
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
