Mechanism Of Bacterial Adhesion Research Articles

Identification of Veillonella parvula and Streptococcus gordonii adhesins mediating co-aggregation and its impact on physiology and mixed biofilm structure.

Our research explores the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion within the dental plaque, focusing on Veillonella parvula, a key player in the oral microbiome. Dependent on lactate from streptococci, V. parvula plays a crucial bridging role in the formation of dental biofilms by co-aggregating with other bacteria. Despite its importance, the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of co-aggregation remains limited. Our study shows that V. parvula uses different trimeric autotransporters to adhere to oral Streptococci and Actinomyces. We additionally identify a novel adhesin from S. gordonii, VisA (SGO_2004) facilitating this interaction. We found that although co-aggregation does not affect cell-cell communication, it is critical for biofilm structure and species distribution. This research opens up new avenues for exploring microbial interactions in dental health and diseases.

Microfluidics for Biofilm Studies

Biofilms are multicellular communities held together by a self-produced extracellular matrix and exhibit a set of properties that distinguish them from free-living bacteria. Biofilms are exposed to a variety of mechanical and chemical cues resulting from fluid motion and mass transport. Microfluidics provides the precise control of hydrodynamic and physicochemical microenvironments to study biofilms in general. In this review, we summarize the recent progress made in microfluidics-based biofilm research, including understanding the mechanism of bacterial adhesion and biofilm development, assessment of antifouling and antimicrobial properties, development of advanced in vitro infection models, and advancement in methods to characterize biofilms. Finally, we provide a perspective on the future direction of microfluidics-assisted biofilm research.

Exploring the antimicrobial features of biomaterials for biomedical applications

Biomaterials have revolutionized therapeutic as well as preventive healthcare. This has given impetus to the development of implants, drug delivery systems, and tissue engineering scaffolds with improved functionalities. However, the quality of biomedical devices used raises concerns about the formation of biofilm and challenges in preventing device-related infections. Hence preventing bacterial colonization on implants and devices is becoming increasingly important. Bio-inspired nano-topographies fabricated on the implant surface offer a promising solution in this direction. This review describes several approaches including antimicrobial polymers, peptides, and marine extracts coated or incorporated into these devices to inhibit microbial infection. Applications of 3D and 4D printed antimicrobial biomaterials and their future perspectives are also taken into account. The mechanisms of bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation and the action of antimicrobial agents accounting for implant-associated infections are described. The advanced strategies would offer sustainable and potent antimicrobial solutions that would aid the fabrication of biomaterials for wound healing, medical implants and surgical devices.

Influence of surface properties on the adhesion of bacteria onto different casings

Bacteria adhere to the surfaces of sausage casing and form biofilms, which causes food spoilage and quality deterioration. However, bacterial adhesion to the casing surfaces has not received enough attention and has not been extensively studied. In this study, the effect of the physicochemical properties of casing surfaces on bacterial initial adhesion were investigated with Leuconostoc mesenteroides as model bacteria. The adhesion of Leuconostoc mesenteroides onto 5 types of casings were systematically investigated, including animal casings, collagen casings, cellulose casings, fiber casings, and nylon casings, which are the most frequently encountered casings in sausage processing. It was found that the number of viable cells on the casings following the trend as: animal casings > collagen casings > fiber casings > cellulose casings > nylon casings after 4 h of incubation time. This phenomenon might be due to the different physicochemical properties of the different casings. Therefore, physicochemical factors, including zeta potential, hydrophobicity and roughness of casings, zeta potential and hydrophobicity of Leuconostoc mesenteroides, were further characterized. In terms of hydrophobic interactions, the results showed that the number of bacteria attached to the casings did not conform to the trend of hydrophobic interaction. In terms of electrostatic interactions, the results showed that the number of bacteria attached to the casings did not conform to the trend of hydrophobic interaction. The casings with different surface roughnesses in a range of 1.67–20.83 μm, the variation of bacterial adhesion quantity was in good agreement with the variation trend of casing roughness, the result showed that the surface roughness was the key factor dominating the bacterial adhesion rate compared with the surface hydrophobicity and zeta potential. The results give new insights to explore the mechanism of bacterial adhesion on casings and prevent sausage spoilage.

Nanomechanical probing of bacterial adhesion to biodegradable Zn alloys

Bacterial infections on implants cause an inflammatory response and even implant failure. Bacterial adhesion is an initial and critical step during implant infection. The prevention of bacterial adhesion to implant materials has attracted much attention, especially for biodegradable metals. A deep understanding of the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion to biodegradable metals is urgently needed. In this work, a bacterial probe based on atomic force spectroscopy was employed to determine the bacterial adhesion to Zn alloy, which depended on surface charge, roughness, and wettability. Negative surface charges of Zn, Zn-0.5Li, and 316L generated electrostatic repulsion force towards bacteria. The surface roughness of Zn-0.5Li was significantly increased by localized corrosion. Bacterial adhesion forces on Zn, Zn-0.5Li, and 316L were 325.2 pN, 519.1 pN, and 727.7 pN, respectively. The density of attached bacteria (early-stage bacterial adhesion) on these samples exhibited a positive correlation with the bacterial adhesion force. The bacterial adhesion force and adhesion work provide a quantitative determination of the interactions between bacteria and biodegradable alloys. These results provide a deeper understanding of early bacterial adhesion on Zn alloys, which can further guide the antibacterial surface design of biodegradable materials for clinical application.

Recent Advance in Polymer Coatings Combating Bacterial Adhesion and Biofilm Formation†

Comprehensive SummaryImplantable medical device‐associated infections (DAIs) originating from bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation have threatened to the health and life of patients. Antibacterial polymer coatings with antifouling and/or bactericidal properties have showed great potentials to combat DAI issues. In this review, we report recent advances in antibacterial polymer coatings fighting bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on implantable biomaterial surfaces. We summarize the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, which provides guidance for the design of antibacterial coatings. We describe the polymer and coating preparation methods and discuss the structure‐property relationships of antibacterial polymer coatings. Applications of these polymer coatings in medical catheters, orthopaedic implants, and other applications are elaborated. Future challenges and prospects associated with antibacterial polymer coatings for implantable medical devices are discussed.

Current Methods for Extraction and Concentration of Foodborne Bacteria with Glycan-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles: A Review.

Rapid and accurate food pathogen detection is an essential step to preventing foodborne illnesses. Before detection, removal of bacteria from the food matrix and concentration to detectable levels are often essential steps. Although many reviews discuss rapid concentration methods for foodborne pathogens, the use of glycan-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is often omitted. This review seeks to analyze the potential of this technique as a rapid and cost-effective solution for concentration of bacteria directly from foods. The primary focus is the mechanism of glycan-coated MNP binding, as well as its current applications in concentration of foodborne pathogens. First, a background on the synthesis, properties, and applications of MNPs is provided. Second, synthesis of glycan-coated particles and their theorized mechanism for bacterial adhesion is described. Existing research into extraction of bacteria directly from food matrices is also analyzed. Finally, glycan-coated MNPs are compared to the magnetic separation technique of immunomagnetic separation (IMS) in terms of cost, time, and other factors. At its current state, glycan-coated MNPs require more research to fully identify the mechanism, potential for optimization, and extraction capabilities directly in food matrices. However, current research indicates glycan-coated MNPs are an incredibly cost-effective method for rapid food pathogen extraction and concentration.

Role of bacterial flagella in bacterial adhesion of Escherichia coli to glass surface

Biofilms are communities of microbes dwelling on surfaces, which can pose potential hazards to human health and public hygiene due to their pathogenic properties. The development of biofilms is a dynamic process that begins with bacterial attachment to abiotic (non-living) surfaces. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the mechanism of bacterial adhesion to abiotic surfaces in the healthcare setting. Understanding the adhesion process also helps develop new methods to hinder biofouling in specific industrial settings and inhibit the growth of biofilm on medical devices that may cause infection. This study focused on flagella’s involvement in adhesion, a key step in biofilm formation. We hypothesized that flagella, like pili, are involved in adhesion. In this study, we investigate the effects of flagella on bacterial adhesion to a glass surface by Escherichia coli (E. coli). In our assay, we reduced the number of flagella on E. coli cells through mechanical shearing and compared adhesion ability afterward. The evidence from our study suggests that the adhesion ability of E. coli cells increased with the shearing of flagella, indicating that bacterial flagella were disadvantageous for adhesion. We concluded that shearing caused increased attachment, as the decreased flagella may allow cells to attach more readily. The findings of the study contribute in several ways to our understanding of bacterial adherence to the glass surface and provide a basis for future researchers interested in developing novel agents that inhibit biofilm formation to different surfaces.

A Review on In vitro Cell Culture Model for Bacterial Adhesion and Invasion: From Simple Monoculture to Co-Culture Human Intestinal Epithelium Model

Aim: This paper reviews the different in vitro models of human intestinal epithelium that have been utilized for studying the adhesion and invasion properties.
 Problem Statement: The cell adhesion and invasion are the key mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity that determines their possible routes of transmission. Numerous investigations related to the adhesion and invasion ability of bacterial isolates have been reported on monoculture human intestinal cells. However, the use of monoculture cells has several major disadvantages, such as the inability to reproduce the complex structure that defines the intestine and the inability to accurately predict the mechanism of bacterial adhesion and invasion.
 Approach: Co-culture models of human intestine have been developed as an alternative to improve the monoculture epithelial cell for adhesion and invasion studies, which provide more flexibility and overcome some of the limitations
 Conclusion: With the use of diverse in vitro approach, it could provide thorough information on different ability of bacterial adhesion and invasion and it could help to clarify the intricacy of host-pathogen interactions that underpin bacterial pathogenesis.

High force catch bond mechanism of bacterial adhesion in the human gut

Bacterial colonization of the human intestine requires firm adhesion of bacteria to insoluble substrates under hydrodynamic flow. Here we report the molecular mechanism behind an ultrastable protein complex responsible for resisting shear forces and adhering bacteria to cellulose fibers in the human gut. Using single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), single-molecule FRET (smFRET), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we resolve two binding modes and three unbinding reaction pathways of a mechanically ultrastable R. champanellensis (Rc) Dockerin:Cohesin (Doc:Coh) complex. The complex assembles in two discrete binding modes with significantly different mechanical properties, with one breaking at ~500 pN and the other at ~200 pN at loading rates from 1-100 nN s−1. A neighboring X-module domain allosterically regulates the binding interaction and inhibits one of the low-force pathways at high loading rates, giving rise to a catch bonding mechanism that manifests under force ramp protocols. Multi-state Monte Carlo simulations show strong agreement with experimental results, validating the proposed kinetic scheme. These results explain mechanistically how gut microbes regulate cell adhesion strength at high shear stress through intricate molecular mechanisms including dual-binding modes, mechanical allostery and catch bonds.

Growth of lactic acid bacteria in milk phospholipids enhances their adhesion to Caco-2 cells

The mechanisms of bacterial adhesion to human cells involve several complex reactions and activation of genes and proteins. It has been reported that the food components in dairy matrices, such as sugar or salt, can decrease bacterial adhesion to Caco-2 cells. However, it has not been evaluated whether the bacteria grown in media supplemented with milk phospholipids (MPL) can increase or decrease the adhesion of these cells. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of MPL on the kinetic growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their functional characteristics as probiotics, expression of surface protein genes, and adherence to Caco-2 cells. Seven LAB strains isolated from various dairy products were characterized. Five of the tested LAB strains were able to grow in a chemically defined medium supplemented with MPL. Lactobacillus reuteri OSU-PECh-48 showed the highest growth rate and the greatest optical density. All of the strains tested showed tolerance to acidic conditions at pH 3.0 and to bile salts at 0.5 and 1% concentrations. Auto-aggregation and cell surface hydrophobicity ability were evaluated, with nonsignificant differences between the strains grown in MPL and without MPL. Gene expression of 6 surface proteins was evaluated in the presence or absence of MPL. Pediococcus acidilactici OSU-PECh-L and OSU-PECh-48 were the strains with highest relative expression of 5 of the 6 genes evaluated. Lactobacillus paracasei OSU-PECh-BA was the strain with the lowest level of expression of surface protein genes. Most of the bacteria tested had increased adhesion to Caco-2 cells after growth in MPL. The bacteria with the highest degrees of adhesion observed were Lactobacillus paracasei OSU-PECh-3B, Pediococcus acidilactici OSU-PECh-L, and Lactobacillus reuteri OSU-PECh-48. The genes Cnb and EF-Tu increased in expression in the presence of MPL in most of the LAB tested. The results obtained in this work demonstrate the high potential of these LAB strains for use as starters or beneficial cultures in fermentation of not only dairy products but also other food fermentation processes, with promising ability to increase residence time in the gut, modify the microbiome, and improve human health.

Effect of Nickel on the Adhesion and Corrosion Ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on Stainless Steel

Microbial colonization of metal surfaces or adhesion of bacteria on metal surfaces is a crucial step in initiating microbiologically influenced corrosion. As the substrate is essential in the development of a biofilm, an understanding of how substrate properties affect adhesion of bacterial cells, including the mechanism of bacterial adhesion, may assist in designing or modifying substrates to inhibit bacterial adhesion and prevent the corrosion of materials. A study was carried out to investigate the effect of nickel on the adhesion and corrosion ability of stainless steels with the same chromium content in nutrient-rich simulated seawater containing Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These stainless steels were 201, 316, 304 and 430 stainless steels. In addition, a carbon steel sample with fully nickel coated was included for comparison. The hydrophobicity of different materials was evaluated by measuring the contact angles made by the water, glycerol and formaldehyde. The number of bacteria adhering to the material surface after short-term immersion was counted by fluorescence microscopy. For corrosion study, the corrosion rates and pitting morphology were studied after 42 days of immersion. The corrosion behavior of the samples was also observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). It was found that the nickel-coated sample had the highest level of bacteria attachment and offered poor corrosion resistance under artificial seawater with Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain. Higher nickel content in stainless steel resulted in a higher level of bacteria attachment. It was found that stainless steel with molybdenum exhibited better corrosion resistance in artificial seawater containing bacteria.

Adaptive antibacterial biomaterial surfaces and their applications.

Bacterial infections on the implant surface may eventually lead to biofilm formation ​and thus threaten the use of implants in body. Despite efficient host immune system, the implant surface can be rapidly occupied by bacteria, resulting in infection persistence, implant failure, and even death of the patients. It is difficult to cope with these problems because bacteria exhibit complex adhesion mechanisms to the implants that vary according to bacterial strains. Different biomaterial coatings have been produced to release antibiotics to kill bacteria. However, antibiotic resistance occurs very frequently. Stimuli-responsive biomaterials have gained much attention in recent years ​but are not effective enough in killing the pathogens because of the complex mechanisms in bacteria. This review is focused on the development of highly efficient and specifically targeted biomaterials that release the antimicrobial agents or respond to bacteria on demands in body. The mechanisms of bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation, and antibiotic resistance are discussed, and the released substances accounting for implant infection are described. Strategies that have been used in past for the eradication of bacterial infections are also discussed. Different types of stimuli can be triggered only upon the existence of bacteria, leading to the release of antibacterial molecules that in turn kill the bacteria. In particular, the toxin-triggered, pH-responsive, and dual stimulus-responsive adaptive antibacterial biomaterials are introduced. Finally, the state of the art in fabrication of dual responsive antibacterial biomaterials and tissue integration in medical implants is discussed.

Saliva-coated titanium biosensor detects specific bacterial adhesion and bactericide caused mass loading upon cell death

Bacteria adhering to implanted medical devices can cause invasive microbial infections, of e.g. skin, lung or blood. In dentistry, Streptococcus gordonii is an early oral colonizer initiating dental biofilm formation and also being involved in life-threatening infective endocarditis. To treat oral biofilms, antibacterial mouth rinses are commonly used. Such initial biomaterial-bacteria interactions and the influence of antibacterial treatments are poorly understood and investigated here in situ by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). A saliva-coated titanium (Ti) biosensor is applied to analyze possible specific signal patterns indicating microbial binding mechanisms and bactericide-caused changes in bacterial film rigidity or cell leakage caused by a clinically relevant antibacterial agent (ABA), i.e., a mouth rinse comprising chlorhexidine (CHX) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). Apparent missing mass effects during the formation of microscopically proven dense and vital bacterial films indicate punctual, specific binding of S. gordonii to the saliva-coated biosensor, compared to unspecific adhesion to pure Ti. Coincidentally to ABA-induced killing of surface-adhered bacteria, an increase of adsorbed dissipative mass can be sensed, contrary to the prior mass-loss. This suggests the acoustic sensing of the leakage of cellular content caused by bacterial cell wall rupturing and membrane damage upon the bactericidal attack. The results have significant implications for testing bacterial adhesion mechanisms and cellular integrity during interaction with antibacterial agents.

Development of multiactive antibacterial multilayers of hyaluronic acid and chitosan onto poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Antibacterial coatings have been widely explored to inhibit biofilm formation in order to prevent post-implantation infections of biomedical devices. However, due to the complex mechanism of bacterial adhesion and proliferation, only the combination of different strategies can lead to higher antibacterial efficiency, especially in the initial stages. For this, layer by layer (LbL) assembly of hyaluronic acid (HA) and chitosan (CHI) was successfully developed onto activated surface of polyethylene terephthalate in order to obtain polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) that combine adhesion resistance, contact killing properties and modulated releasing of antibacterial agents. PEMs showed high efficiency for loading of triclosan (TRI) and rifampicin (RIF). The release of these bactericides could be modulated by their sequential incorporation along the polysaccharide layers. HA/CHI multilayers inhibited E. coli adhesion onto developed surfaces and when TRI and RIF were loaded in the coatings, better antibacterial activity was demonstrated. The possibility of acting as antibacterial reservoir added to the antibacterial properties of the polysaccharide layer make these multilayers promising materials as implants substrates.

Mechanism of bacterial adhesion on ultrafiltration membrane modified by natural antimicrobial polymers (chitosan) and combination with activated carbon (PAC)

AbstractBacterial adhesion to surfaces is related to several factors, such as surface charge, surface energy, and substrate characteristics (leading to the formation of biofilms). Organisms are dominant in most environmental, industrial, and medical problems and processes that are of interest to microbiologists. Biofilm cells are at least 500 times more resistant to antibacterial agents compared to planktonic cells. The usage of ultrafiltration membranes is fast becoming popular for water treatment. Membrane lifetime and permeate flux are primarily affected by the phenomena of microbial accumulation and fouling at the membrane’s surface. This review intends to understand the mechanism of membrane fouling by bacterial attachment on polymeric ultrafiltration membrane modified by natural antimicrobial polymers (chitosan) combined with powder activated carbon. Also, to guide future research on membrane water treatment processes, adhesion prediction using the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory is discussed.

Layered Structure and Complex Mechanochemistry Underlie Strength and Versatility in a Bacterial Adhesive.

ABSTRACTWhile designing synthetic adhesives that perform in aqueous environments has proven challenging, microorganisms commonly produce bioadhesives that efficiently attach to a variety of substrates, including wet surfaces. The aquatic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus uses a discrete polysaccharide complex, the holdfast, to strongly attach to surfaces and resist flow. The holdfast is extremely versatile and has impressive adhesive strength. Here, we used atomic force microscopy in conjunction with superresolution microscopy and enzymatic assays to unravel the complex structure of the holdfast and to characterize its chemical constituents and their role in adhesion. Our data support a model whereby the holdfast is a heterogeneous material organized as two layers: a stiffer nanoscopic core layer wrapped into a sparse, far-reaching, flexible brush layer. Moreover, we found that the elastic response of the holdfast evolves after surface contact from initially heterogeneous to more homogeneous. From a composition point of view, besides N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (NAG), the only component that had been identified to date, our data show that the holdfast contains peptides and DNA. We hypothesize that, while polypeptides are the most important components for adhesive force, the presence of DNA mainly impacts the brush layer and the strength of initial adhesion, with NAG playing a primarily structural role within the core. The unanticipated complexity of both the structure and composition of the holdfast likely underlies its versatility as a wet adhesive and its distinctive strength. Continued improvements in understanding of the mechanochemistry of this bioadhesive could provide new insights into how bacteria attach to surfaces and could inform the development of new adhesives.

Hydrophobin coating prevents Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm formation on different surfaces

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a significant nosocomial pathogen in predisposed hosts because of its capability of forming a biofilm on indwelling medical devices. The initial stage of biofilm formation has a key role in S. epidermidis abiotic surface colonization. Recently, many strategies have been developed to create new anti-biofilm surfaces able to control bacterial adhesion mechanisms. In this work, the self-assembled amphiphilic layers formed by two fungal hydrophobins (Vmh2 and Pac3) have proven to be able to reduce the biofilm formed by different strains of S. epidermidis on polystyrene surfaces. The reduction in the biofilm thickness on the coated surfaces and the preservation of cell vitality have been demonstrated through confocal laser scanning microscope analysis. Moreover, the anti-biofilm efficiency of the self-assembled layers on different medically relevant materials has also been demonstrated using a CDC biofilm reactor.

Attenuated total reflection fourier transform infrared spectroscopy towards disclosing mechanism of bacterial adhesion on thermally stabilized titanium nano-interfaces.

Titanium is widely used as medical implant material and as condenser material in the nuclear industry where its integrity is questioned due to its susceptibility to bacterial adhesion. A systematic investigation on the influence of thermally (50-800°C) stabilized titanium (TS-Ti) nano oxide towards bacterial adhesion was carried out. The results showed that below 350°C significant bacterio-phobicity was observed, while above 500°C significant affinity towards bacterial cells was recorded. Conventional characterization tools such as HR-TEM and XRD did not provide much insight on the changes occurring on the oxide film with heat treatment, however, attenuated total reflection fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) of the surface showed significant changes in the spectral pattern as a function of increasing heat treatment. It was observed that elevated OH, N-H and C=O groups and rutile titania on the TS-Ti oxide films led to higher affinity for bacterial adhesion. On the other hand low temperature TS-Ti nanooxide films (<350°C) showed high C-H groups and decreased OH groups on their surface, which possibly contributed towards their bacterio-phobicity. The TS-Ti nanooxide film grown at 50°C was observed to be the most efficient anti-bacterial adhesion interface, while the 800°C interface was the one showing highest affinity towards bacterial adhesion. This study confirms the successful application of ATR-FTIR technique for nano-oxide film characterization and towards understanding the variations in bacterial interaction of such nano interfaces.

Innovative Solutions to Sticky Situations: Antiadhesive Strategies for Treating Bacterial Infections.

Bacterial adherence to host tissue is an essential process in pathogenesis, necessary for invasion and colonization and often required for the efficient delivery of toxins and other bacterial effectors. As existing treatment options for common bacterial infections dwindle, we find ourselves rapidly approaching a tipping point in our confrontation with antibiotic-resistant strains and in desperate need of new treatment options. Bacterial strains defective in adherence are typically avirulent and unable to cause infection in animal models. The importance of this initial binding event in the pathogenic cascade highlights its potential as a novel therapeutic target. This article seeks to highlight a variety of strategies being employed to treat and prevent infection by targeting the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion. Advancements in this area include the development of novel antivirulence therapies using small molecules, vaccines, and peptides to target a variety of bacterial infections. These therapies target bacterial adhesion through a number of mechanisms, including inhibition of pathogen receptor biogenesis, competition-based strategies with receptor and adhesin analogs, and the inhibition of binding through neutralizing antibodies. While this article is not an exhaustive description of every advancement in the field, we hope it will highlight several promising examples of the therapeutic potential of antiadhesive strategies.