Bacterial Adhesion and Biofilm Formation of Enterococcus faecalis on Zwitterionic Methylmethacrylat and Polysulfones

Abstract

Biofilm-associated implant infections represent a major challenge for healthcare systems around the world due to high patient burden and enormous costs incurred. Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is the most prevalent enterococcal species identified in biofilm-associated infections. The steadily growing areas of application of implants demand a solution for the control of bacterial infections. Therefore, the development of modified anti-microbial implant materials and the testing of the behavior of different relevant bacterial strains towards them display an indispensable task. Recently, we demonstrated an anti-microbial effect of zwitterionic modified silicone rubber (LSR) against Staphylococcus aureus. The aim of this study was to evaluate bacterial colonization and biofilm formation of another clinically relevant strain, E. faecalis, on this material in comparison to two of the most commonly used thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) and other modified LSR surfaces. By generating growth curves, crystal violet, and fluorescence staining, as well as analyzing the expression of biofilm-associated genes, we demonstrated no anti-microbial activity of the investigated materials against E. faecalis. These results point to the fact that anti-microbial effects of novel implant materials do not always apply across the board to all bacterial strains.

Keywords: Enterococcus faecalis; biofilm; methylmethacrylat; polysulfone; zwitterion.