Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formers in drinking water

Abstract

Currently there has been an increase in demand for bottled water, this is due to the population’s dissatisfaction with the quality of water provided by public agencies. The present study sought to evaluate the presence of biofilm-forming P. aeruginosa in bottled drinking water. Thirty-five typical bottled water samples were selected to identify the presence of P. aeruginosa and its ability to form bacterial biofilm. The methodology used to verify the presence of P. aeruginosa followed the multiple tube technique and the evaluation of biofilm forming capacity followed the microdilution technique, with the optical capacity read by spectrophotometry at 620 nm. The presence of P. aeruginosa was detected in 26% of the samples analyzed, representing nine of the 35 samples tested. Of these, 55% had the ability to form biofilm. The present study shows that the presence of P. aeruginosa, which is capable of forming biofilms, is a risk factor for public health because of the widespread commercialisation of bottled water.