Biofilms and the plasmid maintenance question.
Can a conjugative plasmid encoding enhanced biofilm forming abilities for its bacterial host facilitate the persistence of the plasmid in a bacterial population despite conferring diminished growth rate and segregative plasmid loss on its bearers? We construct a mathematical model in a chemostat and in a plug flow environment to answer this question. Explicit conditions for an affirmative answer are derived. Numerical simulations support the conclusion.
Imran
Mudassar
M
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
Jones
Don
D
Smith
Hal
H
D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008954:Models, Biological; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*