Quantitation and relative distribution of extracellular matrix in Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm

✍ Scribed by K. Van Pett; D. J. Schurman; Dr. R. Lane Smith

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 633 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0736-0266
• DOI: 10.1002/jor.1100080303

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The relationship between adherence of bacteria to foreign boides and their deposition of extracellular matrix was examined on glass and suture material. To quantitate bacterial adherence, uptake of [^3^H] thymidine into bacterial DNA was analyzed. Corresponding amounts of extracellular matrix were measured by a new technique using [^14^C]glucose incorporation. This study shows that [^14^C]glucose preferentially labeled bacterial strains in proportion to biofilm production. The ratio of ^3^H^14^C in high biofilm producers was 0.9 and in low producers it was 3.7. Radioactive identification of organisms as high and low producers was confirmed byelectron microscopy. The results presented here show that production and accumulation of biofilm over time is a stable characteristic in different strains of S. epidermidis. The use of ratios reflecting radiolobeling of bacteria and biofilm by [^3^H]thymidine and [^14^C]glucose, respectively, is a quantitative yet simple technique to assess extracellular matrix of different strains of S. epidermidis.