title: Adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains to untreated and oxygen-plasma treated poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) from endotracheal intubation devices.
abstract: Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia is a life threatening complication in mechanically ventilated patients that requires the ability of the bacteria to adhere to, and colonize the endotracheal intubation device. New strategies to prevent or reduce these nosocomial infections are greatly needed. We report here the study of a set of P. aeruginosa clinical isolates, together with specific mutants, regarding their adhesion on native and chemically modified poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) surfaces from endotracheal intubation devices. The adhesion of the different strains to untreated PVC varied widely, correlating with several physico-chemical characteristics known to influence the attachment of bacteria to inert surfaces. The adhesion patterns were compared to the calculations obtained with the DLVO theory of colloidal stability. These results illustrate the importance of testing different clinical isolates when investigating bacterial adhesion. Oxygen plasma treatment of the PVC pieces yielded a hydrophilic surface and reduced the number of adhering bacteria by as much as 70%. This reduction is however unlikely to be sufficient to prevent P. aeruginosa colonization of endotracheal intubation devices.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), ENAC-ISTE-LPE, Bâtiment GR, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. karine.triandafillu@epfl.ch
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Triandafillu
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Balazs
authors.forename: B-O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Aronsson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Descouts
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tu Quoc
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Delden
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Mathieu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Harms
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation; D008422:Materials Testing; D009154:Mutation; D010100:Oxygen; D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride; D010100:Oxygen