engleski

Immobilization of Acinetobacter baumannii onto natural zeolite dependent on the nutrient concentration of water media

An emerging hospital pathogen, bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii occurs in the natural environment influenced by human liquid or solid waste. Bacterial biofilm formation on abiotic or biotic solid surfaces is considered as an important virulence factor of this pathogen. There are no data on the quantification of viable bacterial cells of A. baumannii (either of clinical or environmental origin) that are immobilized onto the solid surfaces. In this study, the environmental isolate of A. baumannii was immobilized onto the particles of natural zeolitizied tuff (NZ) at 20°C in the water media of different nutrient concentrations. Numbers of immobilized viable bacterial cells ranged from 6.7-9.1 log CFU/g. The intensity of bacterial immobilization onto the NZ was a function of total bacterial concentration which was statistically significantly positively correlated with the COD of surrounding water media. Immobilization of bacteria onto the NZ occurred via the bacterial extracellular substances that enable longer survival of bacteria in the environment. The presence of A. baumannii in the natural environment will possess a serious public health concern about the spread of this emerging human pathogen.

bacteria ; chemical oxygen demand ; immobilization ; zeolitized tuff

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