The adhesion of Pseudomonas fluorescens (ATCC 17552) to nonpolarized and negatively polarized thin films of gold was studied in situ by contrast microscopy using a thin-film electrochemical flow cell. The influence of the electrochemical potential was evaluated at two different ionic strengths (0.01 and 0.1 M NaCl; pH 7) under controlled flow. Adhesion to nonpolarized gold surfaces readily increased with the time of exposition at both ionic-strength values. At negative potentials (0.2 and 0.5 V [Ag/AgCl-KCl saturated {sat.}]), on the other hand, bacterial adhesion was strongly inhibited. At 0.01 M NaCl, the inhibition was almost total at both negative potentials, whereas at 0.1 M NaCl the inhibition was proportional to the magnitude of the potential, being almost total at 0.5 V. The existence of reversible adhesion was investigated by carrying out experiments under stagnant conditions. Reversible adhesion was observed only at potential values very close to the potential of zero charge of the gold surface (0.0 V [Ag/AgCl-KCl sat.]) at a high ionic strength (0.1 M NaCl). Theoretical calculations of the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) interaction energy for the bacteria-gold interaction were in good agreement with experimental results at low ionic strength (0.01 M). At high ionic strength (0.1 M), deviations from DLVO behavior related to the participation of specific interactions were observed, when surfaces were polarized to negative potentials.