title: Physicochemical factors influencing bacterial transfer from contact lenses to surfaces with different roughness and wettability.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the transfer of Pseudomonas aeruginosa No. 3 and Staphylococcus aureus 835 from contact lenses to surfaces with different hydrophobicity and roughness. Bacteria were allowed to adhere to contact lenses (Surevue, PureVision, or Focus Night & Day) by incubating the lenses in a bacterial suspension for 30 min. The contaminated lenses were put on a glass, poly(methylmethacrylate), or silicone rubber substratum, shaped to mimic the eye. After 2 and 16 h, lenses were separated from the substrata and bacteria were swabbed off from the respective surfaces and resuspended in saline. Appropriate serial dilutions of these suspensions were made, from which aliquots were plated on agar for enumeration. Bacterial transfer varied between 4 and 60%, depending on the combination of strain, contact time, contact lens, and substratum surface. For P. aeruginosa No. 3, transfer was significantly higher after 16 h than after 2 h, whereas less increase with time was seen for S. aureus 835. Bacterial transfer from all tested contact lenses was least to silicone rubber, the most hydrophobic and roughest substratum surface included.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pit B J
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Vermeltfoort
authors.forename: Henny C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: van der Mei
authors.forename: Henk J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Busscher
authors.forename: Johanna M M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hooymans
authors.forename: Gerda M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Bruinsma
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry*; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D003261:Contact Lenses / Q000382:microbiology*; D005898:Glass; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000737:chemistry; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000737:chemistry; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate