Reversibility and mechanism of bacterial adhesion

The reversibility and mechanisms of adhesion of various pseudomonads and coryneform bacteria having different hydrophobicities and negative cell surface charges on negatively charged Teflon and glass were studied. Adhesion at an ionic strength of 0.1 M was irreversible and corresponded to activation Gibbs energies for detachment higher than 5 kT for 19 out of 20 combinations of bacterial strains and surfaces. The data further demonstrate the importance of two groups of interactions: (i) the electrostatic and van der Waals interactions as described by the DLVO model, and (ii) the interactions between the outer cell surface macromolecules and the solids (steric interactions). At an ionic strength of 0.1 M, steric interactions control adhesion for all but two bacterium/substratum combinations tested. These interactions are attractive for seven moderately to strongly hydrophobic strains on Teflon and prevented detachment upon decreasing the ionic strength to less than 0.0001 M and also after applying shear forces. In contrast, steric interactions inhibited adhesion for more hydrophilic bacterium/substratum combinations for which detachment occurred upon reducing the ionic strength to less than 0.0001 M and/or after applying shear. The importance of the interactions included by the DLVO model is demonstrated by the following. (i) Two hydrophobic strains adhere irreversibly on glass by strong van der Waals attraction in a secondary DLVO minimum at an ionic strength of 0.1 M and detach when the ionic strength is reduced to less than 0.0001 M. (ii) Electrostatic repulsion inhibits deposition at lower ionic strength. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.

[1]  L. M. McDowell-Boyer,et al.  Particle transport through porous media , 1986 .

[2]  Shlomo Nir,et al.  Van der Waals interactions between surfaces of biological interest , 1977 .

[3]  C. J. Oss.  The forces involved in bioadhesion to flat surfaces and particles — Their determination and relative roles , 1991 .

[4]  W. Norde,et al.  Protein adsorption and bacterial adhesion to solid surfaces: a colloid-chemical approach. , 1989 .

[5]  H. Busscher,et al.  Kinetics of adhesion of the oral bacterium Streptococcus sanguis CH3 to polymers with different surface free energies , 1986, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[6]  M. Fletcher,et al.  Response of microbial adhesives and biofilm matrix polymers to chemical treatments as determined by interference reflection microscopy and light section microscopy , 1989, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[7]  Werner Stumm,et al.  Fresh Water and Ocean. (Book Reviews: Aquatic Chemistry. An Introduction Emphasizing Chemical Equilibria in Natural Waters) , 1982 .

[8]  P. Rutter,et al.  Microbial adhesion to surfaces , 1980 .

[9]  W. Norde,et al.  Protein adsorption in model systems , 1991 .

[10]  L. M. McDowell-Boyer.  Chemical mobilization of micron-sized particles in saturated porous media under steady flow conditions , 1992 .

[11]  D. Evans,et al.  Surface characteristics and adhesion of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis. , 1991, The Journal of applied bacteriology.

[12]  M. V. van Loosdrecht,et al.  Electrophoretic mobility and hydrophobicity as a measured to predict the initial steps of bacterial adhesion , 1987, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[13]  H. C. van der Mei,et al.  Measurement of the surface free energy of bacterial cell surfaces and its relevance for adhesion , 1984, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[14]  F. Millero,et al.  Electrolyte Effects on Attachment of an Estuarine Bacterium , 1984, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[15]  M. V. van Loosdrecht,et al.  The role of bacterial cell wall hydrophobicity in adhesion , 1987, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[16]  E. Bayer,et al.  Role of Thin Fimbriae in Adherence and Growth of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus RAG-1 on Hexadecane , 1982, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[17]  P. Baveye,et al.  Effect of sodium chloride on transport of bacteria in a saturated aquifer material , 1991, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[18]  H. C. van der Mei,et al.  Comparison between the adhesion to solid substrata of Streptococcus mitis and that of polystyrene particles , 1988, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[19]  H. Busscher,et al.  Adhesion of Streptococcus sanguis CH3 to polymers with different surface free energies , 1985, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[20]  H. Busscher,et al.  Deposition of oral streptococci and polystyrene latices onto glass in a parallel plate flow cell , 1988 .

[21]  Ralph Mitchell,et al.  Mechanism of the Initial Events in the Sorption of Marine Bacteria to Surfaces , 1970 .

[22]  M. Koohmaraie,et al.  Cell surface charge characteristics and their relationship to bacterial attachment to meat surfaces , 1989, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[23]  T. Yen,et al.  Selection of Bacteria with Favorable Transport Properties Through Porous Rock for the Application of Microbial-Enhanced Oil Recovery , 1983, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[24]  M. Fletcher.  The effects of culture concentration and age, time, and temperature on bacterial attachment to polystyrene , 1977 .

[25]  E. Bouwer,et al.  Bacterial Adhesion under Static and Dynamic Conditions , 1993, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[26]  Johannes Lyklema,et al.  Fundamentals of Interface and Colloid Science , 1991 .

[27]  W. Zingg,et al.  Surface thermodynamics of bacterial adhesion , 1983, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[28]  M. Fletcher,et al.  Bacterial surface adhesives and biofilm matrix polymers of marine and freshwater bacteria , 1991 .

[29]  K. C. Marshall,et al.  Microbial Adhesion and Aggregation , 1985, Life Sciences Research Reports.

[30]  M. Fletcher.  Attachment of Pseudomonas fluorescens to glass and influence of electrolytes on bacterium-substratum separation distance , 1988, Journal of bacteriology.

[31]  P. Rutter,et al.  The deposition of Streptococcus sanguis NCTC 7868 from a flowing suspension. , 1980, Journal of general microbiology.

[32]  S. Kjelleberg,et al.  Starvation-Induced Effects on Bacterial Surface Characteristics , 1984, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[33]  F. Mooi,et al.  The fimbrial adhesins of Escherichia coli. , 1986, Advances in microbial physiology.

[34]  David G. Allison,et al.  The Role of Exopolysaccharides in Adhesion of Freshwater Bacteria , 1987 .

[35]  C. J. Hurst,et al.  Modeling The Environmental Fate of Microorganisms , 1991 .