Bacterial colonization of surfaces - From environmental to internal dynamics

Summary

This thesis focusses on the surface behaviour of two bacteria related to the food industry: the starter culture/spoilage organism Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, and the foodborne pathogen Bacillus cereus which can cause two types of disease: emetic and diarrheal. Both organisms can form so-called ‘biofilms, with cells embedded in a protective self-produced extracellular matrix often attached to surfaces and which can be problematic for the food industry. Furthermore, they can spread throughout an environment as a result of external forces, such as fluid flow, and internal forces, such as the movement driven by rotation of flagella. This thesis highlights that bacterial colonization of a surface is a complex interplay between various processes and regulators, and can even lead to the production of novel cell types with altered morphology. New insights in additional players in signal sensing and integration steering bacterial surface behaviour are presented to pave the way for further research in this area.