Veterinary Research Forum
Vet Res Forum

Occurrence of biofilm forming fungal species and in vitro evaluation of anti-biofilm activity of disinfectants used in drinking water

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Juon Abbass 1
Muhammad Ashraf 2
Serpil Kahya Demirbilek 1
Merve Yıldız 1
havva Aner 1
Ali Raza 3
Kamil Tayfun Carlı 1

1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, Türkiye

2 Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

3 Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Türkiye

https://doi.org/10.30466/vrf.2024.2016504.4088
Abstract
Fungal contamination in drinking water has garnered considerable attention over the past few decades, especially considering the detrimental consequences of pathogenic fungal species on both human and animal health. The formation of biofilms by certain species is a considerable factor contributing to the emergence of severe fungal infections. This research was designed to isolate and identify fungi, particularly those capable of forming biofilms from 150 samples of drinking water sourced from various locations. The isolated fungal species were tested for them in vitro biofilm formation using a microtitration plate method and the crystal violet assay was applied to quantify the established biofilms. The effectiveness of three disinfectants, namely ozone, chlorine, and hydrogen peroxide, in preventing the formation of biofilms by the most isolated fungal species was monitored. The findings indicated that Aspergillus species were the most prevalent in drinking water, comprising 63.33% (95/150) of the total number of fungal species identified. Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus were identified as the primary contributors to biofilm formation in drinking water distribution systems with prevalence rates of 41.00 and 34.00%, respectively, among all Aspergillus species. The outcomes of the in vitro studies demonstrated that the ozone disinfectant exhibited promising results in inhibiting fungal biofilms compared to chlorine and hydrogen peroxide. In conclusion, these findings provided valuable insights for water distribution authorities to develop effective regimens for controlling biofilm-forming fungal species using suitable antifungal biofilm disinfectants.

Keywords

Aspergillosis
Antibiofilm disinfectants
Filamentous fungi
Fungal biofilms
Water supply

Subjects

  1. Abdalla WG. Isolation and identification of water-borne fungi from poultry farms in Khartoum State, Sudan. Sudan J Vet Res 2017; 32: 35-38.
  2. Arroyo MG, Ferreira AM, Frota OP, et al. Broad diversity of fungi in hospital Water. Sci World J 2020; 2020(1): 9358542. doi: 10.1155/2020/9358542.
  3. Afonso TB, Simões LC, Lima N. In vitro assessment of inter-kingdom biofilm formation by bacteria and filamentous fungi isolated from a drinking water distribution system. Biofouling 2019; 35(10): 1041-1054.
  4. Oliveira HM, Santos C, Paterson RR, et al. Fungi from a groundwater-fed drinking water supply system in Brazil. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2016; 13(3): 304. doi: 10.3390/ijerph13030304.
  5. Arroyo MG, Frota OP, Peresi JTM, et al. Wide diversity of fungal species found in wellwater for human consumption: an analytical cross-sectional study. Sao Paulo Med J 2019; 137(6): 512-516.
  6. Hurtado-McCormick S, Sánchez L, Martínez J, et al. Fungi in biofilms of a drinking water network: occurrence, diversity and mycotoxins approach. Water Sci Techn-W Sup 2016; 16(4): 905-914.
  7. Wen G, Xu X, Huang T, et al. Inactivation of three genera of dominant fungal spores in groundwater using chlorine dioxide: effectiveness, influencing factors and mechanisms. Water Res 2017; 125: 132-140.
  8. Toosi M, Ghaesari M, Jaleilzadeh A, et al. Survey of fungal flora in the old and new water distribution systems in Aradan, Iran. J Adv Environ Health Res 2016; 4(3): 176-181.
  9. Wahab KM. Isolation, identification, statistical analysis of pathogenic fungi from drinking water in Al Mahmodia Province in Baghdad. J Educ Sci Stud 2017; 9: 109-122.
  10. Góralska K, Błaszkowska J, Dzikowiec M. The occurrence of potentially pathogenic filamentous fungi in recreational surface water as a public health risk. J Water Health 2020; 18(2): 127-144.
  11. Chen Z, Yuan J, Sun F, et al. Planktonic fungal community structures and their relationship to water quality in the Danjiangkou Reservoir, China. Sci Rep 2018; 8: 10596. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-28903-y.
  12. Youssef MS, Morsy EM, Soliman SA, et al. Yeast and filamentous fungi which contaminate of surface and groundwater in Sohag Governorate, Egypt. J Basic Appl Mycol (Egypt) 2019; 10: 22-38.
  13. Dag I, Oz Y, Kiraz N. Effect of disinfectants on biofilm development by five species of Candida. Afr J Microbiol Res 2012; 6(10): 2380-2386.
  14. Heinrichs G, Hübner I, Schmidt CK, et al. Analysis of black fungal biofilms occurring at domestic water taps. I: compositional analysis using Tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing. Mycopathologia 2013; 175(5-6): 387-397.
  15. Hageskal G, Kristensen R, Fristad RF, et al. Emerging pathogen Aspergillus calidoustus colonizes water distribution systems. Med Mycol 2011; 49(6): 588-593.
  16. Ma X, Baron JL, Vikram A, et al. Fungal diversity and presence of potentially pathogenic fungi in a hospital hot water system treated with on-site mono-chloramine. Water Res 2015; 71: 197-206.
  17. Siqueira VM, Oliveira HM, Santos C, et al. Filamentous fungi in drinking water, particularly in relation to biofilm formation. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2011; 8(2): 456-469.
  18. Ku TSN, Walraven CJ, Lee SA. Candida auris: disinfectants and implications for infection control. Front Microbiol 2018; 9: 726. doi: 10.3389/ fmicb.2018.00726.
  19. Singh R, Shivaprakash MR, Chakrabarti A. Biofilm formation by zygomycetes: quantification, structure and matrix composition. Microbiology (Reading) 2011; 157(Pt 9): 2611-2618.
  20. Salem RM, El-mesalamy MM, El-diasty E, et al. Molecular characterization of pathogenic mould and yeast isolated from poultry farms with detection of mycotoxins residues. Arab J Nucl Sci Appl 2019; 52(4): 208-217.
  21. Wen G, Liang Z, Xu X, et al. Inactivation of fungal spores in water using ozone: kinetics, influencing factors and mechanisms. Water Res 2020; 185: 116218. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116218.
  22. Pereira VJ, Marques R, Marques M, et al. Free chlorine inactivation of fungi in drinking water sources. Water Res 2013; 47(2): 517-523.
  23. Jonathan SG, Oghodero O, Asemoloye MD. Incidence of molds in treated and untreated drinking water of selected local governments in Ibadan, South-Western Nigeria. Res Rev Biosci 2016; 11(4): 1-10.
  24. Ma J, Wang Z, He D, et al. Long-term investigation of a novel electrochemical membrane bioreactor for low-strength municipal wastewater treatment. Water Res 2015; 78: 98-110.
  25. Peeters E, Nelis HJ, Coenye T. Comparison of multiple methods for quantification of microbial biofilms grown in microtiter plates. J Microbiol Methods 2008; 72(2): 157-165.
  26. Pierce CG, Uppuluri P, Tristan AR, et al. A simple and reproducible 96-well plate-based method for the formation of fungal biofilms and its application to antifungal susceptibility testing. Nat Protoc 2008; 3(9): 1494-1500.
  27. Zupančič J, Raghupathi PK, Houf K, et al. Synergistic interactions in microbial biofilms facilitate the establishment of opportunistic pathogenic fungi in household dishwashers. Front Microbiol 2018; 9: 21. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00021.
  28. Ferreira GLS, Rosalen PL, Peixoto LR, et al. Antibiofilm activity and mechanism of action of the disinfectant chloramine T on Candida spp., and its toxicity against human cells. Molecules 2017; 22(9) : 1527. doi: 10.3390/molecules22091527.
  29. Douterelo I, Sharpe R, Boxall J. Bacterial community dynamics during the early stages of biofilm formation in a chlorinated experimental drinking water distribution system: implications for drinking water discolouration. J Appl Microbiol 2014; 117(1): 286-301.
  30. Fish KE, Boxall JB. Biofilm microbiome (Re) growth dynamics in drinking water distribution systems are impacted by chlorine concentration. Front Microbiol 2018; 9: 2519. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02519.
Veterinary Research Forum
Volume 15, Issue 12
December 2024
Pages 651-656

  • Receive Date 12 March 2024
  • Revise Date 16 June 2024
  • Accept Date 14 August 2024

Home

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Reviewers

Contact Us