Comparison between the adhesion to solid substrata of Streptococcus mitis and that of polystyrene particles.

The adhesion of Streptococcus mitis to solid substrata from phosphate suspensions with various ionic strengths was studied and compared with the adhesion of polystyrene particles. At all ionic strengths, the interfacial free energy of adhesion governed the relative number of bacteria or polystyrene particles adhering at equilibrium, except that in a low-ionic-strength buffer, adhesion occurred less frequently because of increased electrostatic repulsion. Large differences between bacterial and polystyrene particle adhesion were observed, as indicated by the ratio of bacteria to polystyrene particles adhering, which decreased from 30 to 4 with a change from low to high ionic strength.     

Surface thermodynamics of bacterial adhesion.

The adhesion of five strains of bacteria, i.e., Staphylococcus aureus (strain 049), Staphylococcus epidermidis (strain 047), Escherichia coli (strains 055 and 2627), and Listeria monocytogenes, to various polymeric surfaces was studied. The design of the experimental protocol was dictated by thermodynamic considerations. From the thermodynamic model for the adhesion of small particles from a suspension onto a solid substratum, it follows that the extent of adhesion is determined by the surface properties of all three phases involved, i.e., the surface tensions of the adhering particles, of the substrate, and of the suspending liquid medium. In essence, adhesion is more extensive to hydrophilic substrata (i.e., substrata of relatively high surface tension) than to hydrophobic substrata, when the surface tension of the bacteria is larger than that of the suspending medium. When the surface tension of the suspending liquid is larger than that of the bacteria, the opposite pattern of behavior prevails. Suspensions of bacteria at a concentration of 10(8) microorganisms per ml were brought into contact with several polymeric surfaces (Teflon, polyethylene, polystyrene, and acetal and sulfonated polystyrene) for 30 min at 20 degrees C. After rinsing, the number of bacteria adhering per unit surface area was determined by image analysis. The surface tension of the suspending medium. Hanks balanced salt solution, was modified through the addition of various amounts of dimethyl sulfoxide. It was found that the number of bacteria adhering per unit surface area correlates well with the thermodynamic predictions and that these data may be used to determine the surface tension of the different bacterial species. The surface tensions of the bacteria obtained in this fashion are in excellent agreement with those obtained by other methods.     

Oriented adhesion of Escherichia coli to polystyrene particles

The adhesion of nonflagellated Escherichia coli strain K-12 to polystyrene (PS) latex spheres or glass capillaries has been observed by using several techniques. Attention was focused on the orientation of the rod-shaped bacteria as they adhered to the surfaces in 100 mM phosphate-buffered saline. Data show that PS particles adhered to the ends of the bacteria more than 90% of the time. Moreover, the PS particles adhered to one end only, never to both. Similarly, for experiments with bacteria adhering to glass, the bacteria adhered on their ends. In order to determine whether the end of a bacterium had a different charge density from that of the middle, rotational electrophoresis experiments were used. These experiments indicated no measurable charge nonuniformity. In order to examine how strongly adhered the bacteria were to the PS particles, differential electrophoresis was used. Almost always, bacteria were found to be irreversibly adhered to the PS spheres. The cause of the oriented adhesion is not likely due to surface lipopolysaccharides (LPS), since the three strains of K-12 that were used, each having a different length of LPS, showed similar behavior. The results are discussed in terms of bacterial cell polarity. The data indicate that nanodomains on the bacterial ends are important for adhesion and that the time scale for irreversible adhesion is short.     

Oriented Adhesion of Escherichia coli to Polystyrene Particles

The adhesion of nonflagellated Escherichia coli strain K-12 to polystyrene (PS) latex spheres or glass capillaries has been observed by using several techniques. Attention was focused on the orientation of the rod-shaped bacteria as they adhered to the surfaces in 100 mM phosphate-buffered saline. Data show that PS particles adhered to the ends of the bacteria more than 90% of the time. Moreover, the PS particles adhered to one end only, never to both. Similarly, for experiments with bacteria adhering to glass, the bacteria adhered on their ends. In order to determine whether the end of a bacterium had a different charge density from that of the middle, rotational electrophoresis experiments were used. These experiments indicated no measurable charge nonuniformity. In order to examine how strongly adhered the bacteria were to the PS particles, differential electrophoresis was used. Almost always, bacteria were found to be irreversibly adhered to the PS spheres. The cause of the oriented adhesion is not likely due to surface lipopolysaccharides (LPS), since the three strains of K-12 that were used, each having a different length of LPS, showed similar behavior. The results are discussed in terms of bacterial cell polarity. The data indicate that nanodomains on the bacterial ends are important for adhesion and that the time scale for irreversible adhesion is short.     

Influence of adhesion to activated carbon particles on the viability of waterborne pathogenic bacteria under flow

In rural areas around the world, people often rely on water filtration plants using activated carbon particles for safe water supply. Depending on the carbon surface, adhering microorganisms die or grow to form a biofilm. Assays to assess the efficacy of activated carbons in bacterial removal do not allow direct observation of bacterial adhesion and the determination of viability. Here we propose to use a parallel plate flow chamber with carbon particles attached to the bottom plate to study bacterial adhesion to individual carbon particles and determine the viability of adhering bacteria. Observation and enumeration is done after live/dead staining in a confocal laser scanning microscope. Escherichiae coli adhered in higher numbers than Raoultella terrigena, except to a coconut-based carbon, which showed low bacterial adhesion compared to other wood-based carbon types. After adhesion, 83-96% of the bacteria adhering to an acidic carbon were dead, while on a basic carbon 54-56% were dead. A positively charged, basic carbon yielded 76-78% bacteria dead, while on a negatively charged coconut-based carbon only 32-37% were killed upon adhesion. The possibility to determine both adhesion as well as the viability of adhering bacteria upon adhesion to carbon particles is most relevant, because if bacteria adhere but remain viable, this still puts the water treatment system at risk, as live bacteria can grow and form a biofilm that can then be shedded to cause contamination.     

Is the large plasmid of 120 MDa in Shigella sonnei composed of two DNA segments—90 and 30 MDa?

Abstract The reversibility of adhesion of 3 representative strains of oral streptococci from a phosphate-buffered suspension onto 5 different solid substrata was studied.
Streptococcus mitis T9 (surface free energy γ_b= 39 mJ · m⁻²). Streptococcus sanguis CH3 (γ_b= 95 mJ · m⁻²) and Streptococcus mutans NS (γ_b= 117 mJ · m⁻²) were selected on basis of their surface free energy. Solid substrata were employed with a surface free energy γ_s ranging from 20 mJ · m⁻² for polytetrafluorethylene to 109 mJ · m⁻² for glass. Bacterial suspensions containing 2.5 × 10⁹ cells per ml were incubated with 2 samples of each substratum. After 1 h the number of adhering bacteria was evaluated on one sample, while the second sample was kept for another hour at a 10-fold lower bacterial concentration. Bacteria with a low surface free energy desorbed only from substrata with a high surface free energy, while bacteria with a high surface free energy desorbed from substrata with a low surface free energy. Thus low energy bacterial strains adhered reversibly to high energy substrata and vice versa. Similar observations were made with polystyrene particles. Calculation of the interfacial free energy of adhesion (Δ F _adh) for each bacterial strain as well as for the polystyrene particles showed that a reversible adhesion was associated with a positive Δ F _adh, denoting unfavourable adhesion conditions upon a thermodynamic basis.     

Adhesion of Azospirillum brasilense to polystyrene: Influence of ionic strength through protein adsorption

The influence of ionic strength on the adhesion of Azospirillum brasilense to polystyrene has been examined by comparing water and phosphate buffer saline (PBS) as suspending media. Polystyrene supports analysed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) after adhesion in PBS for 2 h or 24 h and detachment of adhering cells showed a higher protein surface concentration, reflected by the N/C atomic concentration ratio, compared to supports analysed after adhesion in water. It was shown that PBS both favours protein release by the cells into the solution and enhances the tendency of proteins to adsorb at the support surface.

After 2 h contact time, the increase in the concentration of adsorbed proteins in PBS was related to an increase in adhesion density. However, the observation that the adhesion density after 24 h was lower in PBS than in water indicated that the amount of proteins adsorbed at the support surface controls cell adhesion in a complex way. In PBS, a thick layer of proteinaceous material retaining the bacterial cells is formed; this leads to underestimation of the density of adhering cells as well as to a heterogeneous adhesion pattern and to a relatively low adhesion density due to detachment of pellicles upon rinsing.

The ionic strength thus influences bacterial adhesion in a more subtle way than simply through double layer interactions between the cells and the support.     

Interactions between motile Escherichia coli and glass in media with various ionic strengths, as observed with a three-dimensional-tracking microscope.

Escherichia coli bacteria have been observed to swim along a glass surface for several minutes at a time. Settling velocities of nonmotile cells and a computer simulation of motile cells confirmed that an attractive force kept the bacteria near the surface. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether this attractive force could be explained by reversible adhesion of E. coli to the surface in the secondary energy minimum, according to the theory of Derjaguin, Landan, Verwey, and Overbeek (DLVO theory). This theory describes interactions between colloidal particles by combining attractive van der Waals forces with repulsive electrostatic forces. A three-dimensional-tracking microscope was used to follow both wild-type and smooth-swimming E. coli bacteria as they interacted with a glass coverslip in media of increasing ionic strengths, which corresponded to increasing depths of the secondary energy minimum. We found no quantifiable changes with ionic strength for either the tendencies of individual bacteria to approach the surface or the overall times bacteria spent near the surface. One change in bacterial behavior which was observed with the change in ionic strength was that the diameters of the circles which the smooth-swimming bacteria traced out on the glass increased in low-ionic-strength solution.     

A model study of factors involved in adhesion of Pseudomonas fluorescens to meat.

A study was undertaken to investigate the factors involved in the adhesion of Pseudomonas fluorescens to model meat surfaces (tendon slices). Adhesion was fast (less than 2.5 min) and was not suppressed by killing the cells with UV, gamma rays, or heat, indicating that physiological activity was not required. In various salt solutions (NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, MgCl2), adhesion increased with increasing ionic strength up to 10 to 100 mM, suggesting that, at low ionic strengths, electrostatic interactions were involved in the adhesion process. At higher ionic strengths (greater than 10 to 100 mM) or in the presence of Al3+ ions, adhesion was sharply reduced. Selectively blocking of carboxyl or amino groups at the cell surface by chemical means did not affect adhesion. These groups are therefore not directly involved in an adhesive bond with tendon. Given a sufficient cell concentration (10(10) CFU.ml-1) in the adhesion medium, the surface of tendon was almost entirely covered with adherent bacteria. This suggests that if the adhesion is specific, the attachment sites on the tendon surface must be located within collagen or proteoglycan molecules.     

A model study of factors involved in adhesion of Pseudomonas fluorescens to meat.

A study was undertaken to investigate the factors involved in the adhesion of Pseudomonas fluorescens to model meat surfaces (tendon slices). Adhesion was fast (less than 2.5 min) and was not suppressed by killing the cells with UV, gamma rays, or heat, indicating that physiological activity was not required. In various salt solutions (NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, MgCl2), adhesion increased with increasing ionic strength up to 10 to 100 mM, suggesting that, at low ionic strengths, electrostatic interactions were involved in the adhesion process. At higher ionic strengths (greater than 10 to 100 mM) or in the presence of Al3+ ions, adhesion was sharply reduced. Selectively blocking of carboxyl or amino groups at the cell surface by chemical means did not affect adhesion. These groups are therefore not directly involved in an adhesive bond with tendon. Given a sufficient cell concentration (10(10) CFU.ml-1) in the adhesion medium, the surface of tendon was almost entirely covered with adherent bacteria. This suggests that if the adhesion is specific, the attachment sites on the tendon surface must be located within collagen or proteoglycan molecules.     

Real-time investigation of the muco-adhesive properties of Lactococcus lactis using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring

This work was devoted to probe, at the entire population level, interactions between mucins and Lactococcus lactis, using QCM-D. Real-time monitoring of adsorption on polystyrene of PGM (Pig Gastric Mucin) and subsequent adhesion of L. lactis was performed for IBB477 and MG1820 strains. Measuring simultaneously shifts in resonance frequency and dissipation on the polystyrene-coated crystal demonstrated a two-phase process for PGM adsorption. XPS analysis confirmed the presence of adsorbed mucin. The Voigt-based model was used to describe the QCM-D outputs. The predicted thickness of the PGM layer was consistent with the AFM experimental value. Adhesion of L. lactis to bare or PGM-coated polystyrene was then monitored, in combination with DAPI cell counting. Positive frequency shifts were caused by adhering bacteria. The presence of adsorbed PGM strongly reduced bacterial adhesion. However, adhesion of IBB477 to the PGM coating was greatly increased in comparison with that of MG1820. Muco-adhesion may be a highly variable and valuable phenotypic trait among L. lactis strains.     

Influence of Pretreatment and Experimental Conditions on Electrophoretic Mobility and Hydrophobicity of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts

Surface properties of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts were investigated by using electrophoretic mobility and hydrophobicity measurements. Oocysts purified from calf feces by several sucrose flotation steps and deionized water (DI) washes (DIS method) had an electrophoretic mobility (neutral surface charge) near 0.0 m² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ over a pH range of 2 to 10. The mean electrophoretic mobility of oocysts stored in DI containing a mixture of antibiotics had a lower standard deviation (ς = 0.36) than that of oocysts stored in DI without antibiotics (ς = 0.53); their electrophoretic mobility remained unchanged up to 121 days after collection. The electrophoretic mobility of oocysts purified on a cold Percoll-sucrose gradient after the feces was defatted with ethyl acetate (EAPS method) varied linearly with pH from 0.0 m² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at pH 2.4 to −3.2 × 10⁻⁸ m² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at pH 10 (ς = 0.52), thus displaying the negative surface charge at neutral pH observed by other researchers. The hydrophobicity of oocysts and two types of polystyrene beads was measured as a function of ionic strength by adhesion to polystyrene. Oocysts were purified by the DIS method. The ionic strength of the suspending solution was varied from 0 to 95 mmol liter⁻¹. Two-week-old oocysts exhibited strong adhesion (~85%) at ionic strengths of 0 to 10 mmol liter⁻¹ and moderate adhesion (~20%) at ionic strengths of 20 to 95 mmol liter⁻¹. Two-month-old oocysts exhibited high adhesion (~60 to 80%) at all ionic strengths. These results show that adhesion properties governed by the electrophoretic mobility of purified C. parvum oocysts can be altered by the method of purification and that hydrophobicity can change as oocysts age.     

Adhering ability of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is dependent on growth conditions

The growth conditions are known to influence the bacterial adhesion to different kinds of surfaces. In the present study the adhering ability of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, on growth in nutrient rich media (Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB)) and minimal media (Luria Bertani (LB)) was checked by viable cell count and spectrophotometric method. TSB grown S. maltophilia showed higher adhesion compared to bacteria grown in LB broth, to both biotic and abiotic surfaces. However, when bacteria were grown in LB broth supplemented with different concentrations of glucose, under aerobic conditions, the bacteria grown at lower glucose concentration (2 gm/l) showed maximum adhesion to abiotic surfaces (polystyrene microtiter plate) compared to biotic surfaces (mouse trachea, mouse tracheal mucus and HEp-2 cells line). Maximum adhesion to biotic surfaces was seen with cells grown at 4 gm/l of glucose concentration. On the contrary if the cell was grown under microaerophilic conditions maximum adhesion to abiotic and biotic surfaces was achieved with bacteria grown at 1 gm/l and 2 gm/l of glucose concentration respectively. A negative correlation was observed between glucose concentrations and pH of media, the latter declined faster under microaerophilic conditions as compared to aerobic condition.     

Surface Physicochemistry and Ionic Strength Affects eDNA’s Role in Bacterial Adhesion to Abiotic Surfaces

Extracellular DNA (eDNA) is an important structural component of biofilms formed by many bacteria, but few reports have focused on its role in initial cell adhesion. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of eDNA in bacterial adhesion to abiotic surfaces, and determine to which extent eDNA-mediated adhesion depends on the physicochemical properties of the surface and surrounding liquid. We investigated eDNA alteration of cell surface hydrophobicity and zeta potential, and subsequently quantified the effect of eDNA on the adhesion of Staphylococcus xylosus to glass surfaces functionalised with different chemistries resulting in variable hydrophobicity and charge. Cell adhesion experiments were carried out at three different ionic strengths. Removal of eDNA from S. xylosus cells by DNase treatment did not alter the zeta potential, but rendered the cells more hydrophilic. DNase treatment impaired adhesion of cells to glass surfaces, but the adhesive properties of S. xylosus were regained within 30 minutes if DNase was not continuously present, implying a continuous release of eDNA in the culture. Removal of eDNA lowered the adhesion of S. xylosus to all surfaces chemistries tested, but not at all ionic strengths. No effect was seen on glass surfaces and carboxyl-functionalised surfaces at high ionic strength, and a reverse effect occurred on amine-functionalised surfaces at low ionic strength. However, eDNA promoted adhesion of cells to hydrophobic surfaces irrespective of the ionic strength. The adhesive properties of eDNA in mediating initial adhesion of S. xylosus is thus highly versatile, but also dependent on the physicochemical properties of the surface and ionic strength of the surrounding medium.     

Adhesion of the positively charged bacterium Stenotrophomonas (Xanthomonas) maltophilia 70401 to glass and Teflon.

Medical implants are often colonized by bacteria which may cause severe infections. The initial step in the colonization, the adhesion of bacteria to the artificial solid surface, is governed mainly by long-range van der Waals and electrostatic interactions between the solid surface and the bacterial cell. While van der Waals forces are generally attractive, the usually negative charge of bacteria and solid surfaces leads to electrostatic repulsion. We report here on the adhesion of a clinical isolate, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 70401, which is, at physiological pH, positively charged. S. maltophilia has an electrophoretic mobility of +0.3 x 10(-8) m2 V-1 s-1 at pH 7 and an overall surface isoelectric point at pH 11. The positive charge probably originates from proteins located in the outer membrane. For this bacterium, both long-range forces involved in adhesion are attractive. Consequently, adhesion of S. maltophilia to negatively charged surfaces such as glass and Teflon is much favored compared with the negatively charged bacterium Pseudomonas putida mt2. While adhesion of negatively charged bacteria is impeded in media of low ionic strength because of a thick negatively charged diffuse layer, adhesion of S. maltophilia was particularly favored in dilute medium. The adhesion efficiencies of S. maltophilia at various ionic strengths could be explained in terms of calculated long-range interaction energies between S. maltophilia and glass or Teflon.     

Adsorption of bovine hemoglobin onto spherical polyelectrolyte brushes monitored by small-angle X-ray scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

The adsorption of bovine hemoglobin (BHb) onto colloidal spherical polyelectrolyte brushes (SPBs) is studied by a combination of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The SPBs consist of a polystyrene core onto which long chains of poly(styrene sulfonic acid) are grafted. Hemoglobin is a tetrameric protein that disassembles at low pH's and high ionic strengths. The protein is embedded into the brush layer composed of strong polyacids. Thus, the protein is subjected to a pH and ionic strength that largely differs from the bulk solution. At low ionic strengths up to 650 mg of BHb per gram of SPB could be immobilized. The analysis of the particles loaded with protein by SAXS demonstrates that the protein enters deeply into the brush. A large fraction of hemoglobin is bound at the surface of the polystyrene core. We attribute this strong affinity to hydrophobic interactions between the protein and the polystyrene core. The other protein molecules are closely correlated with the polyelectrolyte chains. The secondary structure of the protein within the brush was studied by FTIR spectroscopy. The analysis revealed a significant disturbance of the secondary structure of the tetrameric protein. The content of alpha-helix is significantly lowered compared to the native conformation. Moreover, there is an increase of beta-sheet structure as compared to the native conformation. The partial loss of the structural integrity of the hydrophobic protein is due to hydrophobic interactions with the hydrophobic polystyrene core. Hydrophobic interactions with the phenyl groups of the poly(styrene sulfonate) chains influence the secondary structure as well. These findings indicate that changes of the secondary structure play a role in the uptake of hemoglobin into the poly(styrene sulfonate) brushes.     

Real-time investigation of the muco-adhesive properties of Lactococcus lactis using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring

This work was devoted to probe, at the entire population level, interactions between mucins and Lactococcus lactis, using QCM-D. Real-time monitoring of adsorption on polystyrene of PGM (Pig Gastric Mucin) and subsequent adhesion of L. lactis was performed for IBB477 and MG1820 strains. Measuring simultaneously shifts in resonance frequency and dissipation on the polystyrene-coated crystal demonstrated a two-phase process for PGM adsorption. XPS analysis confirmed the presence of adsorbed mucin. The Voigt-based model was used to describe the QCM-D outputs. The predicted thickness of the PGM layer was consistent with the AFM experimental value. Adhesion of L. lactis to bare or PGM-coated polystyrene was then monitored, in combination with DAPI cell counting. Positive frequency shifts were caused by adhering bacteria. The presence of adsorbed PGM strongly reduced bacterial adhesion. However, adhesion of IBB477 to the PGM coating was greatly increased in comparison with that of MG1820. Muco-adhesion may be a highly variable and valuable phenotypic trait among L. lactis strains.     

Electric field induced desorption of bacteria from a conditioning film covered substratum.

Desorption of three oral bacterial strains from a salivary conditioning film on an indium tin oxide electrode during application of a positive (bacterial adhesion to the anode) or a negative electric current was studied in a parallel plate flow chamber. Bacterial adhesion was from a flowing suspension of high ionic strength, after which the bacterial suspension was replaced by a low ionic strength solution without bacteria and currents ranging from -800 to +800 microA were applied. Streptococcus oralis J22 desorbed during application of a positive and negative electric current with a desorption probability that increased with increasing electric current. Two actinomyces strains, however, could not be stimulated to desorb by the electric currents applied. The desorption forces acting on adhering bacteria are electroosmotic in origin and working parallel to the electrode surface in case of a positive current, whereas they are electrophoretic and electrostatic in origin and working perpendicular to the surface in case of a negative current. By comparison of the effect of positive and negative electric currents, it can be concluded that parallel forces are more effective in stimulating bacterial desorption than perpendicular forces. The results of this study point to a new pathway of cleaning industrial and biomedical surfaces without the use of detergents or biocides.     

Polymeric particles conjugated with a ligand to VCAM-1 exhibit selective, avid, and focal adhesion to sites of atherosclerosis

The increased expression of VCAM-1 on endothelial segments within plaque regions could be used as a target to deliver polymeric drug carriers selectively to sites of atherosclerosis. We probed the hypothesis that polymeric particles conjugated with a ligand for VCAM-1 exhibit selective and avid adhesion to sites of atherosclerosis. Particles made from polystyrene or the biodegradable polymer poly(sebacic acid)-block-polyethylene glycol (PSA-PEG) were conjugated with an antibody to VCAM-1 (alpha-VCAM-1) or IgG (negative control). The particles were injected into the jugular vein of ApoE(-/-) (a murine model of atherosclerosis) or wild type mice and their adhesion to the aorta determined. alpha-VCAM-1 particles exhibited significantly greater adhesion to ApoE(-/-) mouse aorta [32 +/- 5 (mean +/- SEM) particles/mm(2) for polystyrene particles and 31 +/- 7 particles/mm(2) for PSA-PEG particles] compared to the level of adhesion to wild type mouse aorta (18 +/- 1 particles/mm(2) for polystyrene particles and 6 +/- 1 particles/mm(2) for PSA-PEG particles). Within ApoE(-/-) mice, the alpha-VCAM-1 particles exhibited significantly greater adhesion to the aorta (32 +/- 5 particles/mm(2) for polystyrene particles and 31 +/- 7 particles/mm(2) for PSA-PEG particles) compared to the adhesion of IgG particles (1 +/- 1 particles/mm(2) for polystyrene particles and 2 +/- 1 particles/mm(2) for PSA-PEG particles). Detailed analysis of the adhesion revealed that alpha-VCAM-1 particles exhibited focal adhesion to plaque regions, in particular the periphery of the plaques, within the ApoE(-/-) mouse aorta. Combined the data demonstrate that polymeric particles conjugated with a ligand to VCAM-1 exhibit selective, avid and focal adhesion to sites of atherosclerosis providing strong evidence that VCAM-1 ligand bearing polymeric particles could be used for targeting drugs selectively to atherosclerotic tissue.     

Desorption of adherent bacteria from a solid hydrophobic surface by oil

Oils efficiently desorbed bacteria from a solid surface (polystyrene). Desorption was measured qualitatively by staining techniques, and quantitatively by following the outgrowth kinetics of cells remaining on the plastic surface following the washing procedure. Approximately 97% of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus RAG-1 cells adhering to a polystyrene cuvette were removed following two successive washings in the presence of olive oil.s Results suggest that oils may serve as potent, non-toxic desorbing agents to remove attached hydrophobic bacteria from surfaces.