Survival of and interactions between microorganisms in environmental biofilms

大肠杆菌是世界上最常用的粪便指示生物之一，一些致病菌株可以是水媒病原体。我们对大肠杆菌生物膜的了解大多是基于在实验室条件下生长的K-12菌株。对于环境和O157大肠杆菌菌株在环境条件下的生物膜发育、生存和传播知之甚少。已知rpoS对于某些细菌物种的生物膜发育和扩散是重要的。然而，rpoS在非k12菌株生物膜形成和扩散中的作用尚不清楚。本研究旨在研究归化大肠杆菌在生物膜基质中的持久性和分离性，有助于了解和预防淡水系统中大肠杆菌的爆发。

Escherichia coli is one of the most commonly used fecal indicator organisms worldwide and some pathogenic strains can be waterborne pathogens. Most of what we know about E. coli biofilm is based on the K-12 strain grown under laboratory conditions. Little is known about biofilm development, survival and dispersal of environmental and O157 E. coli strains under environmental conditions. The rpoS is known to be important for biofilm development and dispersal for some bacterial species. However, the role of rpoS on biofilm formation and dispersal of non-K12 strains is not clear. This proposal studies the persistence and detachment of naturalized E. coli in biofilm matrices and will contribute to the understanding and prevention of outbreaks of E. coli in fresh water systems.