Affiliation:
1. Department of Physics and Astronomy Laboratory for Soft Matter and Biophysics KU Leuven Celestijnenlaan 200 D B-3001 Leuven Belgium
2. Department of Physics Nanophotonics Laboratory Stevens Institute of Technology 1 Castle Point Terrace Hoboken NJ 07030 USA
3. Faculté des Sciences Experimental Soft Matter and Thermal Physics (EST) Université Libre de Bruxelles Boulevard du Triomphe ACC.2 B-1050 Brussels Belgium
4. Technology and Food Science Unit Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture Fisheries and Food ILVO Brusselsesteenweg 370 B-9090 Melle Belgium
5. Department of Pathobiology Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine Ghent University Salisburylaan 133 B-9820 Merelbeke Belgium
Abstract
Discriminating bacterial adhesion profiles at strain‐specific level is crucial for simulating and predicting infections and persistence, as well as developing more efficient antibacterial therapies. Herein, it is proposed that label‐ and receptor‐free bacterial discrimination can be achieved by dynamic viscoelastic and adhesion monitoring over specified timescales using the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM‐D). Using two closely related E. coli strains, ATCC 8739 and JM109(DE3), it is shown that their viscoelastic and adhesion properties evolve in time through strain‐specific profiles that are clearly distinguishable over a period of 3–4 h. In addition, the viscoelasticity of both E. coli strains shows a strong strain‐specific dependence on the medium ionic strength, allowing to further amplify the differences in the bacterial adhesion signatures. Furthermore, the viscoelastic and adhesion behaviors of the two E. coli strains with two additional bacteria, Citrobacter freundii and Serratia marcescens, are compared. For all four bacteria, distinct viscoelastic profiles and adhesion fingerprints emerge over similar timescales that allow to reliably discriminate the various bacteria. These results and similar studies on other bacteria might have pharmacological benefits, for instance, by highlighting the role of bacterial–substrate adhesion and viscoelastic properties on disease pathogenesis and persistence, toward developing more effective therapies.
Funder
KU Leuven
H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Subject
Materials Chemistry,Electrical and Electronic Engineering,Surfaces, Coatings and Films,Surfaces and Interfaces,Condensed Matter Physics,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials