title: Microstructure and mechanical properties of in situ Streptococcus mutans biofilms.
abstract: Insight into live microbial biofilm microstructure and mechanical properties and their interactions with the underlying substrate can lead to the development of new remedial strategies and/or materials. Here we report mechanical properties of dental pathogenic Streptococcus mutans biofilms, grown on a polystyrene-coated plate of a shear rheometer in physiologically relevant conditions, precisely controlled in a custom built bioreactor. In situ measurements demonstrated the importance of microstructure and composition of extracellular polymeric substances on the biofilm modulus. The biofilms behave like a weak gel with storage moduli higher than loss moduli. The simple but robust experimental technique presented here can easily be extended to other biofilm-material systems.
authors.affiliation: Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.forename: Santanu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kundu
authors.forename: Nancy J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lin-Gibson
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms; D019149:Bioreactors; D012212:Rheology; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*