A journey in the complex interactions between electrochemistry and bacteriology: From electroactivity to electromodulation of bacterial biofilms.

Although the term bioelectrochemistry tends to be associated with animal and human tissues, bioelectric currents exist also in plants and bacteria. Especially the latter, when agglomerated in the form of biofilms, can exhibit electroactivity and susceptibility to electrical stimulation. Therefore, electrochemical methods appear to become powerful techniques to expand the conventional strategies of biofilm characterization and modification. In this review, we aim to provide the insight into the electrochemical behaviour of bacteria and present the variety of electrochemical techniques that can be used either for the non-destructive monitoring of bacterial communities or modulation of their growth. The most common applications of electrical stimulation on biofilms are presented, including the prevention of bacterial growth by charging the surface of the materials, changing the direction of bacterial movement under the influence of the electric field and increasing of the potency of antibiotics when bactericides are coupled with the electric field. Also, the industrial applications of microbial electro-technologies are described, such as bioremediation, wastewater treatment, and microbial fuel cells. Consequently, we are showing the complexity of interactions that exist between electrochemistry and bacteriology that can be used for the benefit of these two disciplines.

Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS: Antimicrobial activity; Bacterial biofilm; Bacteriology; Electrical stimulation; Electroanalysis; Microbial fuel cells

PMID: 31707278 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2019.107401