title: Nanoscale investigation on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formed on porous silicon using atomic force microscopy.
abstract: Colonization of surfaces by bacterial cells results in the formation of biofilms. There is a need to study the factors that are important for formation of biofilms since biofilms have been implicated in the failure of semiconductor devices and implants. In the present study, the adhesion force of biofilms (formed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa) on porous silicon substrates of varying surface roughness was quantified using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The experiments were carried out to quantify the effect of surface roughness on the adhesion force of biofilm. The results show that the adhesion force increased from 1.5 ± 0.5 to 13.2 ± 0.9 nN with increase in the surface roughness of silicon substrate. The results suggest that the adhesion force of biofilm is affected by surface roughness of substrate.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Ashwin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.forename: Subbalakshmi Latha
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Karumanchi
authors.forename: Vinatha
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Krishna
authors.forename: Kothai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thiruvengadam
authors.forename: Subramaniam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramalingam
authors.forename: Pennathur
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gautam
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012825:Silicon; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D012825:Silicon
keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; atomic force microscopy; biofilm; porous silicon; surface roughness