title: Death and transfiguration in static Staphylococcus epidermidis cultures.
abstract: The overwhelming majority of bacteria live in slime embedded microbial communities termed biofilms, which are typically adherent to a surface. However, when several Staphylococcus epidermidis strains were cultivated in static liquid cultures, macroscopic aggregates were seen floating within the broth and also sedimented at the test tube bottom. Light- and electron microscopy revealed that early-stage aggregates consisted of bacteria and extracellular matrix, organized in sheet-like structures. Perpendicular under the sheets hung a network of periodically arranged, bacteria-associated strands. During the extended cultivation, the strands of a subpopulation of aggregates developed into cross-connected wall-like structures, in which aligned bacteria formed the walls. The resulting architecture had a compartmentalized appearance. In late-stage cultures, the wall-associated bacteria disintegrated so that, henceforth, the walls were made of the coalescing remnants of lysed bacteria, while the compartment-like organization remained intact. At the same time, the majority of strand-containing aggregates with associated culturable bacteria continued to exist. These observations indicate that some strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis are able to build highly sophisticated structures, in which a subpopulation undergoes cell lysis, presumably to provide continued access to nutrients in a nutrient-limited environment, whilst maintaining structural integrity.
authors: Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Christoph
authors: C
authors: Schaudinn
authors: Departments of Microbial Infection and Immunity and Orthopedics, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America.
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Stoodley
authors: Departments of Microbial Infection and Immunity and Orthopedics, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America.
authors: Luanne
authors: L
authors: Hall-Stoodley
authors: Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
authors: Amita
authors: A
authors: Gorur
authors: Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
authors: Jonathan
authors: J
authors: Remis
authors: Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
authors: Siva
authors: S
authors: Wu
authors: Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
authors: Manfred
authors: M
authors: Auer
authors: Department of Biological Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Hertwig
authors: Electron Microscopy, Max Planck Florida Institute, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America.
authors: Debbie
authors: D
authors: Guerrero-Given
authors: Center for Genomic Sciences and Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease; Department of Microbiology and Immunology Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Fen Ze
authors: FZ
authors: Hu
authors: Center for Genomic Sciences and Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease; Department of Microbiology and Immunology Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Garth D
authors: GD
authors: Ehrlich
authors: Center for Genomic Sciences and Center for Advanced Microbial Processing, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease; Department of Microbiology and Immunology Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: John William
authors: JW
authors: Costerton
authors: deNovo Biologic LLC, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America.
authors: Douglas H
authors: DH
authors: Robinson
authors: Center for Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, and Oak Crest Institute of Science, Pasadena, California, United States of America.
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Webster
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D046508:Culture Techniques; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*