Quantitative evaluation of biofilm extracellular DNA by fluorescence-based techniques.

The formation of a hardly removable biofilm in food processing and clinical settings calls for a deeper understanding of composition of the matrix that protects the biofilm cells, as the crucial matrix component is extracellular DNA (eDNA), participating in adhesion, aggregation and penetration reduction, yet serving as a horizontal gene transfer reservoir. Therefore, we evaluated eDNA release from the biofilm of two pathogens, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus, with respect to their origin under different culturing condition. Primarily, the biofilms were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) under conditions mimicking the food processing environment and human body.