title: Staphylococcus epidermidis adherence to human amniotic membrane and to human, rabbit, and cat conjunctiva.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate Staphylococcus epidermidis adherence to human amniotic membrane (HAM) and compare it with S epidermidis adherence to human, rabbit, and cat conjunctiva in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  Research laboratory, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois, USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Commercially available HAM (N = 3) was used. Conjunctival specimens from humans, rabbits, and cats (n = 3 each) were processed similarly to HAM. The tissues were exposed to S epidermidis (3 x 10(8) colony-forming units per milliliter) for 0, 5, 30, and 90 minutes, rinsed in sterile saline, and processed for light, scanning (SEM), and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (x2000) was used to quantify adherent bacteria/mm(2) of tissue (SEM photographs = 144).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The following mean levels (+/- SD) of adherent S epidermidis/mm(2) were found at 0, 5, 30, and 90 minutes: HAM, 3833 +/- 1570, 9060 +/- 2512, 15,431 +/- 10,752, and 30,315 +/- 14,803, respectively; human conjunctiva, 1493 +/- 672, 7218 +/- 3179, 17,273 +/- 7168, and 19,861 +/- 9624, respectively; rabbit conjunctiva, 3385 +/- 5074, 14,386 +/- 14,569, 15,283 +/- 13,679, and 20,113 +/- 24,016, respectively; and cat conjunctiva, 4032 +/- 2240, 12,345 +/- 3413, 8512 +/- 4032, and 19,214 +/- 5584, respectively. No statistically significant differences were found at any time point (P>.16).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no statistically significant difference in the adherence of S epidermidis to HAM and to human, rabbit, and cat conjunctiva. Bacterial adherence to HAM may be clinically significant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Department of Ophthalmology, Loyola University at Chicago, Maywood, Illinois 60153, USA. cornea999@aol.com
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Andrea G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Cathy I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Roberta B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Carey
mesh_terms: D000650:Amnion / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D002415:Cats; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011817:Rabbits; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure