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Spore Adsorption as a Nonrecombinant Display System for Enzymes and Antigens
Published on: March 19, 2019
Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus subtilis spore surface properties and transport
Gang Chen1, Adam Driks, Kamal Tawfiq
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL 32310, United States. gchen@eng.fsu.edu
Colloids and Surfaces. B, Biointerfaces
|January 16, 2010
Summary
Understanding Bacillus spore adherence is key to effective decontamination. Surface properties, influenced by spore structures, dictate how these resistant spores interact with environments, impacting removal strategies.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Environmental Science
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Bacillus spores exhibit high resistance to decontamination methods.
- Spore adherence to various surfaces complicates environmental cleanup.
- Understanding the chemical basis of spore adherence is crucial for improving decontamination efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the surface adhesive properties of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus anthracis spores.
- To correlate spore surface thermodynamic properties with their transport behavior in porous media.
- To elucidate the role of spore surface structures in adhesion and transport.
Main Methods:
- Contact angle measurements to determine spore thermodynamic properties.
- Transport experiments using wild type and mutant Bacillus spores in silica sand under unsaturated conditions.
- Application of a two-region solute transport model to simulate spore movement.
- Infrared spectroscopy analysis to confirm changes in surface thermodynamic properties.
Main Results:
- Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus anthracis spores exhibit monopolar surface properties with electron-donating potential.
- Mutant spores lacking outer layers showed altered surface thermodynamic and transport properties compared to wild type spores.
- Spore adhesion to porous media is directly related to spore-surface interactions and spore surface structures.
- Transport modeling indicated spore retention primarily within the immobile region of the porous media.
Conclusions:
- Spore surface structures significantly influence the surface thermodynamic and transport properties of Bacillus spores.
- The findings provide insights into the mechanisms of Bacillus spore adherence and transport.
- This knowledge can inform the development of more effective decontamination strategies for Bacillus spore-contaminated environments.
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