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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, July 2004, p. 2633-2636, Vol. 48, No. 7
0066-4804/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.48.7.2633-2636.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Enzymatic Detachment of Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilms

Jeffrey B. Kaplan,* Chandran Ragunath, Kabilan Velliyagounder, Daniel H. Fine, and Narayanan Ramasubbu

Department of Oral Biology, New Jersey Dental School, Newark, New Jersey

Received 3 December 2003/ Returned for modification 6 February 2004/ Accepted 4 March 2004

The gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis is the most common cause of infections associated with catheters and other indwelling medical devices. S. epidermidis produces an extracellular slime that enables it to form adherent biofilms on plastic surfaces. We found that a biofilm-releasing enzyme produced by the gram-negative periodontal pathogen Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans rapidly and efficiently removed S. epidermidis biofilms from plastic surfaces. The enzyme worked by releasing extracellular slime from S. epidermidis cells. Precoating surfaces with the enzyme prevented S. epidermidis biofilm formation. Our findings demonstrate that biofilm-releasing enzymes can exhibit broad-spectrum activity and that these enzymes may be useful as antibiofilm agents.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Medical Science Building, Room C-636, 185 S. Orange Ave., Newark NJ 07103. Phone: (973) 972-5051. Fax: (973) 972-0045. E-mail: kaplanjb{at}umdnj.edu.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, July 2004, p. 2633-2636, Vol. 48, No. 7
0066-4804/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.48.7.2633-2636.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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