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Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (1999) 44, 601-605
© 1999 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Reduction of polysaccharide production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms by bismuth dimercaprol (BisBAL) treatment

Ching-Tsan Huanga,* and Philip S. Stewartb

a Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, 1 Roosevelt Road Sec. 4, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, ROC b Center for Biofilm Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA

Microorganisms in biofilms, cells attached to a surface and embedded in secreted insoluble extracellular polymers, are recalcitrant to chemical biocides and antibiotics. When Pseudomonas aeruginosa ERC1 biofilms were treated continuously with 1 x MIC of bismuth dimercaprol (BisBAL), biofilm density determined by both total cell counts and viable cell counts increased during the first 30 h period then decreased thereafter. After 120 h of treatment there was an approximate 3-log reduction in viable cell areal density compared with the untreated control. Per-cell total polysaccharide production was significantly reduced in biofilms exposed to 12.5 µM BisBAL compared with the untreated control. In biofilm cultures, 1 x MIC of BisBAL did not initially kill attached cells but was enough to reduce polysaccharide production. As treatment proceeded, the normalized polysaccharide content was reduced and those cells attached became susceptible to 1 x MIC of BisBAL.

* Corresponding author. Tel:+886-2-2363-4796; Fax:+886-2-8773-4556; E-mail: cthuang{at}ccms.ntu.edu.tw


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