Characterizing the in vitro biofilm phenotype of Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates from central venous catheters.
Central venous catheter (CVC)-related infections are commonly caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis that is able to form a biofilm on the catheter surface. Many studies involving biofilm formation by Staphylococcus have been published each adopting an own in vitro model. Since the capacity to form a biofilm depends on multiple environmental factors, direct comparison of results obtained in different studies remains challenging. This study characterized the phenotype (strong versus weak biofilm-producers) of S. epidermidis from CVCs in four different in vitro biofilm models, covering differences in material type (glass versus polymer) and nutrient presentation (static versus continuous flow). A good correlation in phenotype was obtained between glass and polymeric surfaces independent of nutrient flow, with 85% correspondence under static growth conditions and 80% under dynamic conditions. A 80% correspondence between static and dynamic conditions on polymeric surfaces could be demonstrated as well. Incubation time had a significant influence on the biofilm phenotype with only 55% correspondence between the dynamic models at different incubation times (48h versus 17h). Screening for the presence of biofilm-related genes only revealed that ica A was correlated with biofilm formation under static but not under dynamic conditions. In conclusion, this study highlights that a high level of standardization is necessary to interpret and compare results of different in vitro biofilm models.
['Van Kerckhoven|Marian|M|', 'Hotterbeekx|An|A|', 'Lanckacker|Ellen|E|', 'Moons|Pieter|P|', 'Lammens|Christine|C|', 'Kerstens|Monique|M|', 'Ieven|Margareta|M|', 'Delputte|Peter|P|', 'Jorens|Philippe G|PG|', 'Malhotra-Kumar|Surbhi|S|', 'Goossens|Herman|H|', 'Maes|Louis|L|', 'Cos|Paul|P|']
D018441:Biofilms D062905:Central Venous Catheters D006801:Humans D010641:Phenotype D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis
In vitro Biofilms Staphylococcus epidermidis