This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Brown, M. L. Articles by Gauthier, J. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Brown, M. L. Articles by Gauthier, J. J. Agricola Articles by Brown, M. L. Articles by Gauthier, J. J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl. Environ. Microbiol., Jan 1995, 187-193, Vol 61, No. 1
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology

Relationship between glycocalyx and povidone-iodine resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) biofilms

ML Brown, HC Aldrich and JJ Gauthier
Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294.

Biofilm-embedded bacteria are generally more resistant to antimicrobial agents than are planktonic bacteria. Two possible mechanisms for biofilm resistance are that the glycocalyx matrix secreted by cells in a biofilm reacts with and neutralizes the antimicrobial agent and that the matrix creates a diffusion barrier to the antimicrobial agent. This study was therefore conducted to examine the relationship between glycocalyx and enhanced povidone-iodine resistance in biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853). Biofilms were generated by inoculation of polycarbonate membranes with broth-grown cells and incubation of them on the surfaces of nutrient agar plates. The quantities of glycocalyx material per cell were found not to be significantly different between biofilm and planktonic samples. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the distributions of glycocalyx material around cells differed in biofilm and in planktonic samples. Addition of alginic acid to planktonic cell suspensions resulted in a slight increase in resistance to povidone-iodine, suggesting some neutralizing interaction. However, the iodine demands created by biofilm and planktonic samples of equivalent biomass were not significantly different and, therefore, do not explain the contrast in resistance observed between biofilm and planktonic samples. Examination of the relationship between cell death and biomass detachment from the glycocalyx matrix revealed that most cell death occurred in the fraction of biomass that detached from a biofilm during treatment. The overall rate of iodine diffusion through biofilms was not different from that of planktonic cells collected on a polycarbonate membrane.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Tomlin, K. L., Malott, R. J., Ramage, G., Storey, D. G., Sokol, P. A., Ceri, H. (2005). Quorum-Sensing Mutations Affect Attachment and Stability of Burkholderia cenocepacia Biofilms. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 5208-5218 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Davies, D. G., Parsek, M. R., Pearson, J. P., Iglewski, B. H., Costerton, J. W., Greenberg, E. P. (1998). The Involvement of Cell-to-Cell Signals in the Development of a Bacterial Biofilm. Science 280: 295-298 [Abstract] [Full Text]