Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004;39(5):420-4.
doi: 10.1111/j.1472-765X.2004.01601.x.

Influence of batch or fed-batch growth on Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm formation

N Cerca  1 , G B Pier, M Vilanova, R Oliveira, J Azeredo
Affiliations

Influence of batch or fed-batch growth on Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm formation

N Cerca et al. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2004.

Abstract

Aims: To make a quantitative evaluation of the differences in biofilm formation by Staphylococcus epidermidis using batch and fed-batch growth systems and to correlate this with production of the major biofilm polysaccharide, poly-N-acetyl glucosamine (PNAG).

Methods and results: Dry weight measurements of biofilms formed in batch and fed-batch conditions were compared with haemagglutination titres, which measure the amount of PNAG produced. Strains grown in batch systems developed less biofilm than when grown in fed-batch systems. A good correlation was found between the amount of biofilm formed in fed-batch systems and the haemagglutination titres.

Conclusions: Differences in biofilm formation and PNAG production by S. epidermidis are dependent on the availability of nutrients, with higher availability correlating with more biofilm and PNAG production. SIGNIFICANCE OF AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Comparisons of the formation of biofilms by S. epidermidis are dependent on choosing an appropriate biofilm growth system. Comparability or disparity of conclusions among different investigations will be strongly influenced by which mode S. epidermidis biofilms are formed.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. An YH, Friedman RJ. Laboratory methods for studies of bacterial adhesion. Journal of Microbiological Methods. 1997;30:141–152.
    1. Cramton SE, Gerke C, Schnell NF, Nichols WW, Gotz F. The intercellular adhesion (ica) locus is present in Staphylococcus aureus and is required for biofilm formation. Infection and Immunity. 1999;67:5427–5433. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Donlan RM, Costerton JW. Biofilms: survival mechanisms of clinically relevant microorganisms. Clinical Microbiology Reviews. 2002;15:167–193. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Everaert EP, Mahieu HF, Chung RP, Verkerke GJ, van der Mei HC, Bussher HJ. A new method for in vivo evaluation of biofilms on surface-modified silicone rubber in a parallel plate flow chamber in the absence and presence of nutrient broth. Microbiology. 1997;143:1569–1574.
    1. Galbart J, Allignet J, Tung H, Rydèn C, Solh NE. Screening for Staphylococcus epidermidis markers discriminating between skin-flora strains and those responsible for infections of joint prostheses. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2000;182:351–355. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances