Abstract
Filamentous fungi have been constantly recovered from diverse aquatic environments including drinking water distribution systems. Although most of the works are focused on the study of planktonic form, recent researches have shown that fungi develop biofilm within these systems. In this study, Aspergillus sp. (section Nigri), Aspergillus sp. (section Flavi), Alternaria sp., Botrytis sp., Cladosporium sp., and Penicillium sp. recovered from water biofilms were used to evaluate their capability to grow as biofilms under laboratorial conditions. Morphological and physiological characteristics were analysed using image analysis and biomass and cell activity estimation. All six isolates were able to form biofilm, though different patterns of development were observed. Only Alternaria sp. formed biofilm in water over 24 h of analysis. MEB was shown to be the best culture media for biofilm formation. A direct correlation between biomass and cell activity was not observed, but biomass values and morphological parameters, that is, monolayer and EPS production, were directly correlated. Thus, the results present here highlight the capability of fungi to form biofilms and the emergent necessity to standardize methods for further research in this area.
Highlights
Filamentous fungi have been frequently isolated from aquatic environments such as rivers, streams, lakes, and sea [1]
A direct relation was observed between biomass (CV), and biofilm development (Figures 1 and 3–8)
The biofilm formation pattern observed in this work resembled the kinetics of biofilm formation of Aspergillus fumigatus recently proposed by Ramage et al [17]
Summary
Filamentous fungi (ff) have been frequently isolated from aquatic environments such as rivers, streams, lakes, and sea [1]. Water distribution systems (WDS) are nowadays seen as complex aquatic environments in which high diverse microorganisms cohabit, including fungi [2]. Regardless of their importance for human health, little is known about microbial ecology of ff within WDS. Ramage et al [17] reported the importance of fungal biofilm phenotype concept in medical and industrial mycological research. These authors described schematically Aspergillus biofilms development and discussed morphological, physiological, and molecular features related to both fungal virulence and enzymatic production
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