Abstract
Biofilm represents a protected mode, which allows bacteria to survive and
proliferate in a hostile environment. Little is known whether the ability to
form biofilms is a characteristic of all groups of A streptococcal (GAS)
strains and whether there is a relationship between biofilm formation and a
clinical source of isolates. A capsule physically covers superficial adhesins
and other proteins, essential in bacterial attachment, as the first step in
biofilm formation. It is also possible that hyaluronic acid could form part
of the complex extracellular polymer matrix of biofilms and contribute to the
three-dimensional architecture of the biofilm. The aim of this study was to
investigate if there are differences in adherence and biofilm production
between GAS strains with different pathogenic potential, and the possible
role of the capsule in this process. A total of 122 isolates were divided
into three groups: noninvasive (NI), low invasive (LI) and highly invasive
(HI). Adherence, SpeB and biofilm production were tested before and after
hyaluronidase treatment. There was no difference in adherence between
untreated GAS strains, but after capsule removal, NI and HI isolates adhered
significantly better than the LI group. Before treatment, isolates of the HI
group were the worst biofilm producers, but after capsule removal, they
became the best biofilm producers. There was no difference in SpeB production
among GAS isolates, regardless of the hyaluronidase treatment.
Citation
ID:
243861
Ref Key:
aleksandra2013archivesadherence