Microbial membrane and surface interaction: a physicochemical approach analysis.

M.E. VILLANUEVA; A. SALINAS; M.V. TUTTOLOMONDO; COPELLO, G; DIAZ, L.E

Congreso; XLVIII Reunión Anual - Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular.; 2012

Biofilms are microbial communities of surface-attached cells embedded in a self-produced extracellular polymeric matrix. They can cause significant problems in many areas, such as medical and in industrial envairoments. Primary adhesion constitutes the first step in biofilm formation. This initial and reversible stage is mediated by complex physicochemical interactions, including hydrophobicity and surface charges. The aim of this study is to determine the cell surface characteristics of a Pseudomonas spp. strain isolated from an industrial contamination and grown in three different growth media. We propose a set of physicochemical criteria regarding three parameters: hydrophobic/hydrophilic character, Lewis acid-base interactions, and charge properties. Investigations of these three aspects were performed by using the microbial adhesion to solvents method and the DRIFT method. The correlations between this parameters and bacteria primary adhesion to stainless steel and aluminum surfaces will be presented