Open AccessSurface free energy and interaction of Staphylococcus epidermidis with biomaterials
Author(s) -
Ferreirós C.M.,
Carballo J.,
Criado M.T.,
Sáinz V.,
Río M.C.
Publication year - 1989
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.1574-6968.1989.tb03425.x
Subject(s) - staphylococcus epidermidis , surface energy , adhesion , biomaterial , chemistry , bacteria , polycarbonate , polyethylene , staphylococcus aureus , materials science , biology , organic chemistry , genetics
The adhesion of twenty nine Staphylococcus epidermidis strains to teflon, polyethylene, polycarbonate and bovine pericardium was studied in vitro and examined in relation to the surface free energies of both bacteria and biomaterials. All S. epidermidis strains had similar surface free energies, close to that of water, and adhered better to the materials with analogous surface free energies. There was a significant correlation (Kendall's Tau B = 1000) of biomaterial's surface free energy with the number of adhering bacteria. This correlation is inverse (Kendall's Tau B =−1000) when surface hydrophobicity is considered instead of surface free energy. This indicates that in Staphylococcus epidermidis adherence to biomaterials is inversely correlated to the surface hydrophobicity of the last, being so just the opposite of that occurring with other bacteria.