Project Description:
Project Summary
One of the most important virulence traits of many bacteria is their ability to form biofilms. Bacteria within the biofilm communicate with one another in this heterogeneous network. One hypothesized method of communication is the release of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), which contain signaling molecules. In this project, we will investigate OMV properties and transport within biofilms formed by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, an emerging, opportunistic pathogen, which readily forms biofilms on both biotic and abiotic surfaces and is one of the most common drug-resistant pathogens in hospitals. We will focus on the following two aims: Aim 1: Define the physical and chemical properties of OMVs produced within the biofilm (Brown lab). Aim 2: Measure bacterial vesicle transport through biofilms while simultaneously studying the resulting spatio-temporal rheological properties of the biofilm (Schultz lab). This work is a collaboration between the Brown and Schultz labs combining their expertise in OMVs and rheology.