Biofilms Impact on Drinking Water Quality

Abstract

A paradigm shift currently occurs in microbiology, with significant impacts in a variety of environmental, medical and industrial applications. The old misconception of free floating microbes is invalidated by a different knowledge pattern: the great majority of terrestrial microorganisms live in communities associated to surfaces, called biofilms (Costerton et al, 1987; Flemming, 2008; Muntean, 2009). This organisation mode is associated to all surfaces in contact with water in drinking water processing, storage and distribution. Such biofilms are represented by structured consortia of sessile microorganisms characterized by surface attachment, self-produced exopolymeric matrix, structural, functional and metabolic heterogeneity, capable of intercellular communication by quorum-sensing and plurispecific composition.