Investigation of Biofilm Formation Abilities of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella enterica Isolates from Broiler Chicken Flocks

Authors : Seyyide Sarıçam İnce

Pages : 181-186

Doi:10.36483/vanvetj.1712871

View : 94 | Download : 207

Publication Date : 2025-11-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Bacteria use biofilm formation as a critical survival strategy to increase their resistance to environmental stress factors and sanitation procedures, which means that it also plays a key role in the persistence of foodborne pathogens in poultry environments. This study investigated the biofilm formation abilities of Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), and Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) isolates obtained from broiler chicken flocks. A total of 90 isolates were tested for biofilm formation ability, comprising 30 isolates from each species. Biofilm formation ability of the isolates was quantitatively examined by the microtiter plate test. The analysis indicated that all isolates (100.0%, 90/90) were biofilm producers, of which 95.6% (86/90) and 4.4% (4/90) were weak and moderate biofilm producers, respectively. No isolates were strong biofilm producers. All E. coli isolates (100.0%, 30/30) were weak biofilm producers. The prevalence of weak biofilm producers (93.3%, 28/30) and moderate biofilm producers (6.7%, 2/30) was similar for both K. pneumoniae and S. enterica isolates. The mean optical density of K. pneumoniae isolates (0.094) was higher than those of the E. coli and S. enterica isolates (0.079 and 0.090, respectively). To the best of knowledge, this study is the first study to investigate biofilm formation ability of E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates originated from broiler chicken flocks in Türkiye. It was revealed a high prevalence of biofilm formation among the analyzed enteric pathogens in broiler chicken flocks. High biofilm-forming potential increases bacterial persistence in poultry environments, thereby complicating sanitation measures and increasing the risk of foodborne transmission. The present study emphasizes the need for improved control strategies against biofilm-forming bacteria in poultry production systems to reduce the threat to public health.
Keywords : Biyofilm, E. coli, Kanatlı, K. pneumoniae, Mikrotitre plak yöntemi

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