The cell surface hydrophobicity of 60 isolates and three reference strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis was assayed by means of bacterial aggregation in liquid broth, phosphate-buffered saline, and in ammonium sulfate, as well as by affinity of the bacteria to n-hexadecane and polystyrene surfaces. In order to better characterize the isolates, the influence of bacterial growth time and enzyme treatment on cell hydrophobicity and the analysis of the slime production were also investigated. The strains presented the following profiles when assayed by the ammonium sulfate aggregation test (SAT): SAT < 1M, SAT 1M - <2M, SAT 2M - <4M, and SAT >or=4M. When SAT < 1M, the strains showed positive results for most of the cell surface hydrophobicity tests. None of the strains belonging to the groups with SAT >or= 1M showed spontaneous aggregation (SA), auto-aggregation (AA), or glass adherence, albeit 32 (62.7%) strains were polystyrene adherent and 42 (82.3%) presented weak adherence to n-hexadecane (>20%). The best correlation of the results was found among the AA and glass adherence tests (100%), followed by SA/ glass adherence (98%) and SA/ AA test (98%). The polystyrene adherence test and microbial adherence to n-hexadecane test (MATH) showed 78% correlation. Proteinase K treatment reduced bacterial adherence to polystyrene, but did not influence the SAT values. Three distinct groups of strains were distinguished by the polystyrene micromethod and glass tube adherence assay: 0.0-0.4 O.D. group, including non-glass adherent isolates; 0.5-0.7 O.D. group, including strains with variable profiles (adherent or non-adherent); and 0.8-1.3 O.D. group, composed of glass-adherent strains. Evaluation by a single method seemed not to reliably determine the surface hydrophobicity characteristics of S. epidermidis clinical isolates. Auto-aggregation properties of the strains that adhered to glass seemed related to slime expression, rather than cell surface hydrophobicity. Data also suggested involvement of protein components in adherence to polystyrene, but not in auto-aggregation properties assayed by SAT.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00284-002-3868-5DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

surface hydrophobicity
16
cell surface
12
glass adherence
12
adherence
9
slime production
8
staphylococcus epidermidis
8
ammonium sulfate
8
sat sat
8
adherence n-hexadecane
8
adherence polystyrene
8

Similar Publications

Carbocation charge as an interpretable descriptor for the catalytic activity of hydrolytic nanozymes.

J Colloid Interface Sci

December 2024

College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266042, China; Key Laboratory of Optic-electric Sensing and Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, MOE, Shandong Key Laboratory of Biochemical Analysis, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266042, China. Electronic address:

A universal theory for predicting the catalytic activity of hydrolytic nanozymes has yet to be developed. Herein, by investigating the polarization and hydrolysis mechanisms of nanomaterials towards amide bonds, carbocation charge was identified as a key electronic descriptor for predicting catalytic activity in amide hydrolysis. Through machine learning correlation analysis and the Sure Independence Screening and Sparsifying Operator (SISSO) algorithm, this descriptor was interpreted to associate with the d-band center and Lewis acidity on the nanomaterial surface.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

β-cyclodextrin polymers as a new sorbent for solid-phase extraction of xenobiotics in Urine.

J Hazard Mater

December 2024

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China. Electronic address:

This study systematically assessed the performance of a newly developed solid-phase extraction (SPE) material, cellulose-supported aminated β-cyclodextrin polymer (amine-β-CDP@Cellulose), in determining 44 xenobiotics, encompassing endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), pharmaceuticals, and food additives in urine samples. The primary objective of the research was to synthesize a new sorbent, optimize the extraction protocol, and elucidate the underlying adsorption and desorption mechanisms. Following optimization, it was observed that amine-β-CDP@Cellulose achieved recoveries ranging from 80 % to 120 % for 28 of the 44 targeted xenobiotics, with only three compounds showing recoveries below 50 %.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microplastics (MPs) in nature inevitably undergo various aging processes and may exhibit varied interfacial interactions with the coexisted contaminants. Here several discarded disposable polyethylene and polypropylene plastic packaging materials were collected and employed as the raw materials of MPs, and the effects of stimulated UV irradiation and microbial colonization on the variations of surface physicochemical characteristics, including biofilm content, oxygen-containing functional groups, oxygen/carbon ratio, hydrophilicity and surface charge properties were explored. Simultaneously, the adsorption behavior of each MPs on the representative cationic dye crystal violet (CV), as well as the influences of salinity and pH of CV solution, was investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Erastin, as an effective ferroptosis inducer, has received extensive attention in anti-tumor research. To develop an oral nanocarrier for high efficient loading hydrophobic erastin, here we prepared a fluoro-liposome (FA-3 F-LS) by the self-assembly of the folic acid modified fluorinated amphiphiles-FA-3 F conjugates. The hydrophobic component of three perfluorooctyl chains endows the FA-3 F-LSs with high stability to resist the harsh gastrointestinal tract condition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Physicochemical Characterization of Gallstone Surfaces to Predict Their Interaction with Salmonella Typhi.

Curr Microbiol

January 2025

Industrial and Surface Engineering Laboratory, Bioprocess and Biointerfaces Team, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Sultan Moulay Slimane University, BP 523, 23000, Beni Mellal, Morocco.

Salmonella Typhi can adhere to and build biofilms on the surface of gallstones causing abnormal gallbladder mucosa, which could lead to carcinogenesis. The surface physicochemical properties of microbial cells and materials have been shown to play a crucial role in adhesion. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the surface properties of nine gallstones and to evaluate the influence of these parameters on the theoretical adhesion of S.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!