Campylobacter jejuni Biofilm Formation Under Aerobic Conditions and Inhibition by ZnO Nanoparticles.

Xian Zhong,Zonghao Ma,Shi Wu,Moutong Chen,Youxiong Zhang,Yu Ding,Jumei Zhang,Liang Xue,Juan Wang,Xianhu Wei,Qingping Wu,Xiang Nie

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.00207

Abstract

Campylobacter jejuni is a major foodborne pathogen worldwide. As it forms biofilms, it can become a persistent contaminant in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, it was demonstrated that C. jejuni could make more biofilm in aerobic conditions than in microaerobic conditions, and only 13.9% C. jejuni entered coccus (a VBNC state) under microaerobic conditions; however, the rate increased to 95.5% under aerobic conditions. C. jejuni could form more biofilm in mixed culture with Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas aeruginosa than in pure culture. Scanning electron microscope results showed that C. jejuni retained its normal spiral shape under aerobic conditions for 48 h by forming crosslinks with the aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria. Additionally, culture medium containing 0.5 mg/ml ZnO nanoparticles inhibited biofilm formation. Our results provide information on a new approach to controlling contamination via C. jejuni.

Highlights

Campylobacter jejuni is a zoonotic pathogen, and it is a major cause of foodborne diseases all over the world (Ica et al, 2012)
Three concentrations of ZnO nanoparticles were added to the medium to study the inhibition effect of ZnO nanoparticles on biofilm formation
The most intensive formation of biofilm by C. jejuni was observed in this study under aerobic conditions

Summary

Introduction

Campylobacter jejuni is a zoonotic pathogen, and it is a major cause of foodborne diseases all over the world (Ica et al, 2012). It is puzzling that planktonic C. jejuni has a weak ability to survive multiple stressors in the environment, it can cause foodborne diarrheal illness (Karki et al, 2019; Kim et al, 2019). Research on C. jejuni infections is rare compared to research on other foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. Previous research has shown that C. jejuni biofilms can resist harsh environments, which enhances its transmission ability (Teh et al, 2010). Natural bacteria biofilms involve complex cellular communities and they have major implications regarding pathogenesis (Jothiprakasam et al, 2017)

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Conclusion