Inhibition of biofouling by marine microorganisms and their metabolites.
Development of microbial biofilms and the recruitment of propagules on the surfaces of man-made structures in the marine environment cause serious problems for the navies and for marine industries around the world. Current antifouling technology is based on the application of toxic substances that can be harmful to the natural environment. For this reason and the global ban of tributyl tin (TBT), there is a need for the development of "environmentally-friendly" antifoulants. Marine microbes are promising potential sources of non-toxic or less-toxic antifouling compounds as they can produce substances that inhibit not only the attachment and/or growth of microorganisms but also the settlement of invertebrate larvae and macroalgal spores. However, so far only few antilarval settlement compounds have been isolated and identified from bacteria. In this review knowledge about antifouling compounds produced by marine bacteria and diatoms are summarised and evaluated and future research directions are highlighted.
Dobretsov
Sergey
S
Department of Biology/Coastal Marine Laboratory, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, PR China.
Dahms
Hans-Uwe
HU
Qian
Peri-Yuan
PY
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D017377:Diatoms / Q000378:metabolism*; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D008386:Marine Biology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents