Modeling of Symbiotic Bacterial Biofilm Growth with an Example of the Streptococcus–Veillonella sp. System

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Original languageEnglish
Article number48
JournalBulletin of mathematical biology
Volume83
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - 24 Mar 2021

Abstract

We present a multi-dimensional continuum mathematical model for modeling the growth of a symbiotic biofilm system. We take a dual-species namely, the Streptococcus–Veillonella sp. biofilm system as an example for numerical investigations. The presented model describes both the cooperation and competition between these species of bacteria. The coupled partial differential equations are solved by using an integrative finite element numerical strategy. Numerical examples are carried out for studying the evolution and distribution of the bio-components. The results demonstrate that the presented model is capable of describing the symbiotic behavior of the biofilm system. However, homogenized numerical solutions are observed locally. To study the homogenization behavior of the model, numerical investigations regarding on how random initial biomass distribution influences the homogenization process are carried out. We found that a smaller correlation length of the initial biomass distribution leads to faster homogenization of the solution globally, however, shows more fluctuated biomass profiles along the biofilm thickness direction. More realistic scenarios with bacteria in patches are also investigated numerically in this study.

Keywords

    Biofilm model, Heterogeneous distribution, Numerical simulation, Streptococcus–Veillonella, Symbiotic system

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Modeling of Symbiotic Bacterial Biofilm Growth with an Example of the Streptococcus–Veillonella sp. System. / Feng, Dianlei; Neuweiler, Insa; Nogueira, Regina et al.
In: Bulletin of mathematical biology, Vol. 83, No. 5, 48, 24.03.2021.

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abstract = "We present a multi-dimensional continuum mathematical model for modeling the growth of a symbiotic biofilm system. We take a dual-species namely, the Streptococcus–Veillonella sp. biofilm system as an example for numerical investigations. The presented model describes both the cooperation and competition between these species of bacteria. The coupled partial differential equations are solved by using an integrative finite element numerical strategy. Numerical examples are carried out for studying the evolution and distribution of the bio-components. The results demonstrate that the presented model is capable of describing the symbiotic behavior of the biofilm system. However, homogenized numerical solutions are observed locally. To study the homogenization behavior of the model, numerical investigations regarding on how random initial biomass distribution influences the homogenization process are carried out. We found that a smaller correlation length of the initial biomass distribution leads to faster homogenization of the solution globally, however, shows more fluctuated biomass profiles along the biofilm thickness direction. More realistic scenarios with bacteria in patches are also investigated numerically in this study.",
keywords = "Biofilm model, Heterogeneous distribution, Numerical simulation, Streptococcus–Veillonella, Symbiotic system",
author = "Dianlei Feng and Insa Neuweiler and Regina Nogueira and Udo Nackenhorst",
note = "Funding Information: The authors would like to thank the reviewer for his/her constructive comments and efforts towards improving our manuscript. Thanks also go to Dr. Henryke Rath, Dr. Nadine Kommerein and Mrs. Natascha Brandhorst for many helpful discussions. Dianlei Feng would also like to thank the German Research Council (DFG) under grant No. FE 1962/1-1 (426819984). ",
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AU - Feng, Dianlei

AU - Neuweiler, Insa

AU - Nogueira, Regina

AU - Nackenhorst, Udo

N1 - Funding Information: The authors would like to thank the reviewer for his/her constructive comments and efforts towards improving our manuscript. Thanks also go to Dr. Henryke Rath, Dr. Nadine Kommerein and Mrs. Natascha Brandhorst for many helpful discussions. Dianlei Feng would also like to thank the German Research Council (DFG) under grant No. FE 1962/1-1 (426819984).

PY - 2021/3/24

Y1 - 2021/3/24

N2 - We present a multi-dimensional continuum mathematical model for modeling the growth of a symbiotic biofilm system. We take a dual-species namely, the Streptococcus–Veillonella sp. biofilm system as an example for numerical investigations. The presented model describes both the cooperation and competition between these species of bacteria. The coupled partial differential equations are solved by using an integrative finite element numerical strategy. Numerical examples are carried out for studying the evolution and distribution of the bio-components. The results demonstrate that the presented model is capable of describing the symbiotic behavior of the biofilm system. However, homogenized numerical solutions are observed locally. To study the homogenization behavior of the model, numerical investigations regarding on how random initial biomass distribution influences the homogenization process are carried out. We found that a smaller correlation length of the initial biomass distribution leads to faster homogenization of the solution globally, however, shows more fluctuated biomass profiles along the biofilm thickness direction. More realistic scenarios with bacteria in patches are also investigated numerically in this study.

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