Modeling of the Bacillus subtilis Bacterial Biofilm Growing on an Agar Substrate.
Bacterial biofilms are organized communities composed of millions of microorganisms that accumulate on almost any kinds of surfaces. In this paper, a biofilm growth model on an agar substrate is developed based on mass conservation principles, Fick's first law, and Monod's kinetic reaction, by considering nutrient diffusion between biofilm and agar substrate. Our results show biofilm growth evolution characteristics such as biofilm thickness, active biomass, and nutrient concentration in the agar substrate. We quantitatively obtain biofilm growth dependence on different parameters. We provide an alternative mathematical method to describe other kinds of biofilm growth such as multiple bacterial species biofilm and also biofilm growth on various complex substrates.
School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China ; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Xiaoling
X
Wang
School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Guoqing
G
Wang
School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Mudong
M
Hao
D000362:Agar; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000502:physiology*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D018533:Biomass; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008954:Models, Biological; D059008:Time-Lapse Imaging
D000362:Agar