Effects of surface characteristics on the transport of multiple Escherichia coli isolates in large scale columns of quartz sand - Transport of Multiple Escherichia Coli Transport in Saturated Porous Media - page 21

Ag43
Motility
hydrophobicity
Zeta potential
Sphericity

1

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

0 1 2 3 4

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

Distance (m)

Fig. 2.4: Pearson's correlation coefficient of the transport dependent sticking efficiency

and E. coli surface property for the AGW experiments, as a function of the
traveled distance (m).

In AGW a similar trend was observed: at 0.13 m, the correlation was high positive and
statistically significant ( r = 0.846, p = 0.03), and r reduced with increased transport distance.
In DI, the trends in correlations between Α and motility were similar to Ag43-expression: at
0.13 m high positive and statistically significant ( r = 0.755, p = 0.035) and the r -value decreased
with increasing transport distance, while the p-value increased.
In AGW, however, r -values between Α and motility were low and statistically not significant
and also reduced with transport distance. Finally, at all travel distances in DI and AGW, the
correlation between Α and cell properties sphericity, hydrophobicity and outer surface potential
were low and statistically insignificant.

2.4 Discussion

Our results showed that the Ag43 expression and motility significantly influenced bacteria
attachment, while attachment was not significantly correlated with outer surface potential,
sphericity and cell surface hydrophobicity. In addition, we also observed that the correlation
between the Ag43 expression and sticking efficiency reduced with increased transport distance,
and the same was true for the relation between motility and sticking efficiency.