The incidence of separation events of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a flow displacement chamber: examining shear forces overcoming Flo11p mediated adhesion to an inert substrate

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Anna Gray Smith (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Amy Adamson

Abstract: Biofilms are present on surfaces that are exposed to a consistently aqueous environment and can be deleterious to human health. Fungal biofilm infections are a common problem in medical in-dwellings, specifically urinary catheters that need to remain in the patient for significant periods of time. I designed and built a flow-chamber that can be visualized with brightfield microscopy to confirm adhesion of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to an inert substrate. I then used a peristaltic pump to propagate an up-stepping flow-rate and counted the number of separation events for three strains of S. cerevisiae, one of which is a Flo11p, flo11?, knockout. Using this flow chamber, I created adhesion profiles of S. cerevisiae and determined what shear forces would impede the continued adherence of S. cerevisiae to an inert surface. By analyzing the processes involved in the initial step in biofilm formation, deposition and adhesion, we can make advances in designing surfaces to prevent and inhibit biofilm growth in medical in-dwellings and catheters. [This abstract has been edited to remove characters that will not display in this system. Please see the PDF for the full abstract.]

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2018
Keywords
Adhesion, Biofilms, Flo11p, Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Subjects
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Microorganisms $x Adhesion
Biofilms $x Prevention

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