Characterisation of curli production, cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and attachment behaviour of escherichia coli O157

Escherichia coli O157 are an important group of foodborne pathogens with the ability to attach to materials commonly used in food processing environments such as slightly hydrophilic stainless steel. The aim of this study was to characterise six E. coli isolates, including five E. coli O157, for cur...

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Main Authors: Goulter, R., Gentle, I., Dykes, Gary
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2010
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16599
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author Goulter, R.
Gentle, I.
Dykes, Gary
author_facet Goulter, R.
Gentle, I.
Dykes, Gary
author_sort Goulter, R.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Escherichia coli O157 are an important group of foodborne pathogens with the ability to attach to materials commonly used in food processing environments such as slightly hydrophilic stainless steel. The aim of this study was to characterise six E. coli isolates, including five E. coli O157, for curli production, autoaggregation, hydrophobicity and attachment to highly hydrophilic glass and hydrophobic Teflon®. Curli production and autoaggregation were determined using absorbance assays; hydrophobicity by bacterial adherence to hydrocarbons, hydrophobic interaction chromatography and contact angle measurements; and attachment using epifluorescence microscopy. Curli production varied between strains and for some strains correlated with autoaggregation. Curli production correlated with decreased hydrophobicity for two strains. Four of the six isolates increased attachment to glass, but decreased attachment to Teflon® with increased curli production. In contrast, one of the six isolates decreased attachment to glass, but increased attachment to Teflon® with increasing curli production. Curli production by the remaining isolate did not correlate with hydrophobicity or attachment. Attachment of some E. coli, including E. coli O157, to abiotic surfaces may be influenced by curli production, autoaggregation and hydrophobicity. However, for other strains, a variety of factors may be of greater influence on these properties and ability to attach to abiotic surfaces. This study highlights the complexity of bacterial surface properties and their relationship with bacterial attachment. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-165992017-09-13T15:44:14Z Characterisation of curli production, cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and attachment behaviour of escherichia coli O157 Goulter, R. Gentle, I. Dykes, Gary Escherichia coli O157 are an important group of foodborne pathogens with the ability to attach to materials commonly used in food processing environments such as slightly hydrophilic stainless steel. The aim of this study was to characterise six E. coli isolates, including five E. coli O157, for curli production, autoaggregation, hydrophobicity and attachment to highly hydrophilic glass and hydrophobic Teflon®. Curli production and autoaggregation were determined using absorbance assays; hydrophobicity by bacterial adherence to hydrocarbons, hydrophobic interaction chromatography and contact angle measurements; and attachment using epifluorescence microscopy. Curli production varied between strains and for some strains correlated with autoaggregation. Curli production correlated with decreased hydrophobicity for two strains. Four of the six isolates increased attachment to glass, but decreased attachment to Teflon® with increased curli production. In contrast, one of the six isolates decreased attachment to glass, but increased attachment to Teflon® with increasing curli production. Curli production by the remaining isolate did not correlate with hydrophobicity or attachment. Attachment of some E. coli, including E. coli O157, to abiotic surfaces may be influenced by curli production, autoaggregation and hydrophobicity. However, for other strains, a variety of factors may be of greater influence on these properties and ability to attach to abiotic surfaces. This study highlights the complexity of bacterial surface properties and their relationship with bacterial attachment. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16599 10.1007/s00284-010-9589-2 restricted
spellingShingle Goulter, R.
Gentle, I.
Dykes, Gary
Characterisation of curli production, cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and attachment behaviour of escherichia coli O157
title Characterisation of curli production, cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and attachment behaviour of escherichia coli O157
title_full Characterisation of curli production, cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and attachment behaviour of escherichia coli O157
title_fullStr Characterisation of curli production, cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and attachment behaviour of escherichia coli O157
title_full_unstemmed Characterisation of curli production, cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and attachment behaviour of escherichia coli O157
title_short Characterisation of curli production, cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and attachment behaviour of escherichia coli O157
title_sort characterisation of curli production, cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and attachment behaviour of escherichia coli o157
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16599