title: Correlation between hydrophobicity and resistance to nonoxynol-9 and vancomycin for urogenital isolates of lactobacilli.
abstract: Seven clinical isolates of lactobacilli were found to be relatively hydrophobic with a mean water-contact angle of 66 +/- 15 degrees, and to be susceptible to 1% nonoxynol-9 and vancomycin. However, seven other strains were relatively hydrophilic with a mean water-contact angle of 32 +/- 13 degrees, and found to be resistant to 25% nonoxynol-9 and vancomycin. Thus, the surface properties of lactobacilli that influence susceptibility to antimicrobial agents may involve surface hydrophobicity. Possibly the penetration barrier posed by the cell surface towards these two nonionic antimicrobials is lower for hydrophobic cells than for hydrophilic cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tomeczek
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Cuperus
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: McGroarty
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: van der Mei
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Khoury
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Busscher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003902:Detergents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D017137:Nonoxynol; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013500:Surface Tension; D014521:Urethra / Q000382:microbiology*; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology*; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003902:Detergents; D014867:Water; D017137:Nonoxynol; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D014640:Vancomycin