Dual-Species Biofilms Formed by Escherichia coli and Salmonella Enhance Chlorine Tolerance
Zejia Lin, Guoshu Wang, Songshen Li, Lehao Zhou, Hongshun Yang
Abstract
Outbreaks of Escherichia coli and Salmonella in food might be associated with the cross-contamination of biofilms on food-contact surfaces. The knowledge of the sanitization of mono-species biofilm on the food-contact surface is well established, while mixed-species biofilm occurs more naturally, which could profoundly affect the efficacy of sanitizer. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the efficacy of using chlorine against single- and dual-species biofilms of E. coli and Salmonella along with the underlying bacterial metabolic responses. The responses of a mixed biofilm of E. coli and Salmonella to chlorine sanitization were clarified, providing insights to develop a targeted and green sanitization strategy against specific pathogens by perturbing their most susceptible metabolism pathway without sanitizer residue.