Figure 7
Antibiosis in mixed Aspergillus fumigatus - S. aureus biofilm by SEM. Assessment of concentration of the Staphylococcus aureus inoculum in the development of the mixed Aspergillus fumigatus-S. aureus biofilm. A-D) A. fumigatus-S. aureus biofilm, inoculum of 1 × 103 bacteria/mL: A) bacterial aggregation on extended hyphae 2000X; B) close-up of Figure A1, note bacteria within anastomosed hyphae 20000X; C) bacterial clustering around hyphae with altered morphology 5000X; D) bacterial cells on ECM, in contact with ECM of hyphae, neighboring a conidial cluster 10000X. E-J) mixed A. fumigatus-S. aureus biofilm with an inoculum of 1 × 107 bacteria/mL: E) conidia surrounded by abundant S. aureus populations, conidia with prolongations 1000X (upper left insert 20000X); F) active conidation 5000X; G) group of atrophied hyphae with conidia surrounded by cocci, remainder of fragmented hypha 5000X (upper left insert, 20000X); H) bacterial damage on hypha in vertices 5500X; I) bacterial population enveloping the fungal structure; insert in lower left part shows damaged conidia with morphological change 5000X (upper left insert, 20000X); J) mixed A. fumigatus-S. aureus biofilm 5000X. Biofilms developed on 12-well polystyrene plates incubated 24 h with RPMI medium at 37°C. White box insert-higher magnification detail. B = bacteria, C = conidia, H = hypha.