Biofilm formation by strains of Leuconostoc citreum and L. mesenteroides

Abstract

Although biofilms produced by various Leuconostoc sp. are economically important as contaminants of sugar processing plants, very few studies are available on these systems. Twelve strains of Leuconostoc citreum and L. mesenteroides that produce a variety of extracellular glucans were compared for their capacity to produce biofilms. 16s rRNA sequence analysis was used to confirm the species identity of these strains, which included four isolates of L. mesenteroides, five isolates of L. citreum, and three glucansucrase mutants of L. citreum strain NRRL B-1355. Strains identified as L. mesenteroides produce glucans that are generally similar to commercial dextran. Nevertheless, these strains differed widely in their capacity to form biofilms, with densities ranging from 2.7 to 6.1 log cfu/cm(2). L. citreum strains and their derivatives produce a variety of glucans. These strains exhibited biofilm densities ranging from 2.5 to 5.9 log cfu/cm(2). Thus, biofilm-forming capacity varied widely on a strain-specific basis in both species. The types of polysaccharides produced did not appear to affect the ability to form biofilms.