Open AccessSurface free energies of oral streptococci and their adhesion to solids
Author(s) -
Uyen Mariëtte,
Busscher Hendrik J.,
Weerkamp Anton H.,
Arends Joop
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1985.tb00993.x
Subject(s) - adhesion , surface (topology) , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , materials science , biology , composite material , mathematics , geometry
The adhesion of 3 strains of oral streptococci from a buffered suspension onto 3 different solid substrata was studied. Representative strains of streptococci were selected on the basis of their surface free energy ( γ b ), namely Streptococcus mitis L1 ( γ b = 37 mJ·m −2 ), Streptococcus sanguis CH3 (95 mJ·m −2 ) and Streptococcus mutans NS (117 mJ·m −2 ). Solid substrata were also selected on basis of their surface free energy ( γ s ), and included polytetrafluorethylene ( γ s = 20 mJ·m −2 ), polymethylmethacrylate (53 mJ·m −2 ) and glass (109 mJ·m −2 ). Bacterial adhesion was measured as the number of bacteria adhering per cm 2 at equilibrium. Equilibrium was usually obtained within 20 min. S. sanguis CH3, having an intermediate surface free energy did not show a clear preference for any of the 3 solids. S. mitis L1, however, the lowest surface free energy strain, adhered in highest numbers to the low energy solid PTFE, whereas the highest γ b strain, S. mutans NS, adhered in highest numbers to the highest γ s solid, glass. Calculation of the interfacial free energy of adhesion ( ΔF adh ) for each bacterial strain showed that this parameter was predictive of bacterial adhesion to solid substrata.