Resumo (PT):
Abstract (EN):
Chlorine is the most commonly used agent for general disinfection, particularly for microbial growth control in
drinking water distribution systems. The goals of this study were to understand the effects of chlorine, as sodium
hypochlorite (NaOCl), on bacterial membrane physicochemical properties (surface charge, surface tension and
hydrophobicity) and on motility of two emerging pathogens isolated from drinking water, Acinetobacter
calcoaceticus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The effects of NaOCl on the control of single and dual-species
monolayer adhered bacteria (2 h incubation) and biofilms (24 h incubation) was also assessed. NaOCl caused
significant changes on the surface hydrophobicity and motility of A. calcoaceticus, but not of S. maltophilia.
Planktonic and sessile S. maltophilia were significantly more resistant to NaOCl than A. calcoaceticus. Monolayer
adhered co-cultures of A. calcoaceticus-S. maltophilia were more resilient than the single species. Oppositely,
dual species biofilms were more susceptible to NaOCl than their single species counterparts. In general, biofilm
removal and killing demonstrated to be distinct phenomena: total bacterial viability reduction was achieved
even if NaOCl at the higher concentrations had a reduced removal efficacy, allowing biofilm reseed. In conclusion,
understanding the antimicrobial susceptibility of microorganisms to NaOCl can contribute to the design of
effective biofilm control strategies targeting key microorganisms, such as S. maltophilia, and guarantying safe
and high-quality drinking water. Moreover, the results reinforce that biofilms should be regarded as chronic
contaminants of drinking water distribution systems and accurate methods are needed to quantify their presence
as well as strategies complementary/alternative to NaOCl are required to effectively control the microbiological
quality of drinking water.
Idioma:
Inglês
Tipo (Avaliação Docente):
Científica
Nº de páginas:
9