Studying bacterial adhesion forces: Staphylococcus aureus on elastic poly(dimethyl)siloxane substrates

• Published in: Microelectronic engineering Vol. 88; no. 8; pp. 1825 - 1827
• Main Authors: Nill, Peter, Goehring, Nadine, Loeffler, Ronny, Peschel, Andreas, Kern, Dieter P.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.08.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Bacterial adhesion; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Exact sciences and technology; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Mechanical and acoustical properties; Mechanical and acoustical properties of condensed matter; Mechanical and acoustical properties; adhesion; Mechanical properties of nanoscale materials; PDMS pillars; Physical properties of thin films, nonelectronic; Physics; Scanning electron microscopy; Scanning probe microscopes, components and techniques; Solid surfaces and solid-solid interfaces; Staphylococcus aureus; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); PDMS pillars; Scanning electron microscopy; Bacterial adhesion; Staphylococcus aureus; Dimethylsiloxane polymer; Adhesive strength; Adhesion
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mee.2011.01.002
• ISSN: 0167-9317

To investigate the forces acting between Staphylococcus aureus and its surrounding environment we have designed and fabricated a poly(dimethyl)siloxane substrate with microstructured pillars. The deflection of those pillars due to the adhesion of S. aureus serves as a means for force estimation and is measured in a scanning electron microscope after fixation of the incubated substrates. Our results suggest that the forces exerted by S.aureus, as a member of the class of prokaryotic cells, are higher than those typically observed for eukaryotic cells.