Consortia of catalase positive bacteria consisting of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, in both the planktonic form and as biofilms, disproportionate hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water. The biofilm, however, continued to disproportionate the hydrogen peroxide in the presence of the catalase inhibitor, 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, while the planktonic organisms did not. While the bacterial catalase-peroxidase-dismutase system was probably responsible for the disproportionation of hydrogen peroxide in both cases, biofilms resisted inhibition of this enzyme system.
Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.