ISSN:
1574-6968
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract 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.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.1989.tb03425.x
