Unveiling the Mechanisms for <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Biofilm Formation Using a Stochastic Mathematical Model

<i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> plays a significant role in human health, food production, and veterinary practice. Biofilm formation is a likely mechanism explaining the survival of <i>C. jejuni</i> in seemingly unfavourable environments, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly...

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Main Authors: Paulina A. Dzianach, Gary A. Dykes, Norval J. C. Strachan, Ken J. Forbes, Francisco J. Pérez-Reche
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-08-01
Series:Hygiene
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-947X/4/3/26
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author Paulina A. Dzianach
Gary A. Dykes
Norval J. C. Strachan
Ken J. Forbes
Francisco J. Pérez-Reche
author_facet Paulina A. Dzianach
Gary A. Dykes
Norval J. C. Strachan
Ken J. Forbes
Francisco J. Pérez-Reche
author_sort Paulina A. Dzianach
collection DOAJ
description <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> plays a significant role in human health, food production, and veterinary practice. Biofilm formation is a likely mechanism explaining the survival of <i>C. jejuni</i> in seemingly unfavourable environments, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We propose a mathematical model to unify various observations regarding <i>C. jejuni</i> biofilm formation. Specifically, we present a cellular automaton with stochastic dynamics that describes both the probability of biofilm initiation and its subsequent growth. Our model incorporates fundamental processes such as cell rearrangement, diffusion of chemical compounds, accumulation of extracellular material, cell growth, lysis, and deactivation due to nutrient scarcity. The model predicts an optimal nutrient concentration that enhances population survival, revealing a trade-off where higher nutrient levels may harm individual cells but benefit the overall population. Our results suggest that the lower biofilm accumulation observed experimentally in aerobic conditions compared to microaerobic conditions may be due to a reduced surface invasion probability of individual cells. However, cells that do manage to invade can generate microcolonies of a similar size under both aerobic and microaerobic conditions. These findings provide new insights into the survival probability and size of <i>C. jejuni</i> biofilms, suggesting potential targets for controlling its biofilm formation in various environments.
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spelling doaj-art-1ca2211ddbf6483c98d6caff018d1d582025-08-20T01:55:33ZengMDPI AGHygiene2673-947X2024-08-014332634510.3390/hygiene4030026Unveiling the Mechanisms for <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Biofilm Formation Using a Stochastic Mathematical ModelPaulina A. Dzianach0Gary A. Dykes1Norval J. C. Strachan2Ken J. Forbes3Francisco J. Pérez-Reche4School of Natural and Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UKSchool of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, AustraliaSchool of Natural and Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UKSchool of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UKSchool of Natural and Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK<i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> plays a significant role in human health, food production, and veterinary practice. Biofilm formation is a likely mechanism explaining the survival of <i>C. jejuni</i> in seemingly unfavourable environments, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We propose a mathematical model to unify various observations regarding <i>C. jejuni</i> biofilm formation. Specifically, we present a cellular automaton with stochastic dynamics that describes both the probability of biofilm initiation and its subsequent growth. Our model incorporates fundamental processes such as cell rearrangement, diffusion of chemical compounds, accumulation of extracellular material, cell growth, lysis, and deactivation due to nutrient scarcity. The model predicts an optimal nutrient concentration that enhances population survival, revealing a trade-off where higher nutrient levels may harm individual cells but benefit the overall population. Our results suggest that the lower biofilm accumulation observed experimentally in aerobic conditions compared to microaerobic conditions may be due to a reduced surface invasion probability of individual cells. However, cells that do manage to invade can generate microcolonies of a similar size under both aerobic and microaerobic conditions. These findings provide new insights into the survival probability and size of <i>C. jejuni</i> biofilms, suggesting potential targets for controlling its biofilm formation in various environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-947X/4/3/26biofilmsextracellular matrix (ECM)cellular automata (CA)individual based modelling (IbM)<i>Campylobacter jejuni</i>
spellingShingle Paulina A. Dzianach
Gary A. Dykes
Norval J. C. Strachan
Ken J. Forbes
Francisco J. Pérez-Reche
Unveiling the Mechanisms for <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Biofilm Formation Using a Stochastic Mathematical Model
Hygiene
biofilms
extracellular matrix (ECM)
cellular automata (CA)
individual based modelling (IbM)
<i>Campylobacter jejuni</i>
title Unveiling the Mechanisms for <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Biofilm Formation Using a Stochastic Mathematical Model
title_full Unveiling the Mechanisms for <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Biofilm Formation Using a Stochastic Mathematical Model
title_fullStr Unveiling the Mechanisms for <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Biofilm Formation Using a Stochastic Mathematical Model
title_full_unstemmed Unveiling the Mechanisms for <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Biofilm Formation Using a Stochastic Mathematical Model
title_short Unveiling the Mechanisms for <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Biofilm Formation Using a Stochastic Mathematical Model
title_sort unveiling the mechanisms for i campylobacter jejuni i biofilm formation using a stochastic mathematical model
topic biofilms
extracellular matrix (ECM)
cellular automata (CA)
individual based modelling (IbM)
<i>Campylobacter jejuni</i>
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-947X/4/3/26
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