EFFECTS OF PROBIOTICS AND ANTIBIOTICS ON BIOFILMS
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Abstract
Experiments were conducted to study the effects of probiotics and
antibiotics on 3-months old biofilms formed on three different substrates,
namely glass, granite and fibreglass reinforced plastic. The variations in
heterotrophic bacterial populations associated with biofilms were monitored
for a period of one month after one-time application of the probiotic Biogreen
(Gee Key Marine Pvt. Ltd, Chennai) at 0.2 mg P and the antibiotic tetracycline
at 1.0 mg P. The variations in heterotrophic bacterial populations associated
with biofilms were compared with that of control to analyse the effects of
probiotics and antibiotics on biofilms. The observations showed that the
biofilm formation and succession in aquatic environment is substrate
dependent and that the resistance to antibiotics also depends on the substrate.
The probiotics did not show significant effect on biofilms.
Keywords: Bacterial biofilms, substrates, probiotics, antibiotics