Construction of a Black-Dirt Formation Model Using Microorganisms Obtained from the Toilet Bowl

Abstract

In this study, we constructed a method for preparing microbial black-dirt model on a glass plate under laboratory condition. It clearly demonstrated that indigenous bacterial biofilms function as scaffolds for fungal spore adhesion followed by black-dirt formation by a fungus, Cladosporium halotolerans. This black-dirt model should be a useful tool not only for development of the methods for its prevention and removal but also for studying fungi-bacteria complex biofilm formation.