Relations between hydrophobicity tested by three methods and surface chemical composition of Escherichia coli.

The cell surface hydrophobicity of three strains of Escherichia coli cultured in liquid medium and on solid medium was measured using various methods including adsorption to pxylene, partition of cells in a polyethylene glycol/dextran (PEG/DEX) two phase system and contact angle measurements. The percentage adsorbed to pxylene ranged from 1.6% to 67% and the percentage of cells in polyethylene glycol phase ranged from 19% to 64%. The contact angle data of less than 40 degrees C revealed a hydrophylic character of the E. coli strains studied here. No relations were found between paraxylene/water partitioning, PEG/DEX partioning and water contact angles. The linear correlation coefficients between the results of the three hydrophobicity assays and the elemental concentration ratios obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were calculated. A linear correlation was found between the contact angles and the O/C ratios (r=0.91) and the N/C ratios (0.67). The adsorption to pxylene correlates better with N/C ratios (0.88) but does not correlate with O/C ratios (0.46). However, this test correlates with N/P ratios (0.79). No relation was obtained between partition in PEG/DEX system and any elemental concentration ratios. The surface composition determined by XPS was converted into a molecular composition in terms of proteins, polysaccharides, and hydrocarbon-like compounds. The proteins/polysaccharides and the hydrocarbons/polysaccharides seems to determine the contact angle of E. coli but not the adsorption to paraxylene or partition in the PEG/DEX system.

Effects of subinhibitory concentrations of nitroxoline on the surface properties of Escherichia coli.

Nitroxoline (5-nitro-8-quinolinol; NIQ) at subinhibitory concentrations (sub-MIC) decreased the adherence of uropathogenic Escherichia coli to catheter surface and significantly enhanced cell surface hydrophobicity. The surface hydrophobicity increased in the presence of sub-MIC of NIQ and also in an excess of Mg2+. The effect of NIQ on the cell surface was not related to the bacteriostatic effect of this agent. The increase in nitrogen and decrease in phosphate content in the cell surface was found in the presence of NIQ. NIQ did not inhibit the expression of fimbriae.

Adsorption of a Cationic Surfactant on Na-Montmorillonite: Inspection of Adsorption Layer by X-Ray and Fluorescence Spectroscopies.

The adsorption of the cationic surfactant BDDAC on a hydrophilic smectite (montmorillonite) surface has been investigated, especially in the range of low coverage ratios where surfactant ions are adsorbed through cation-exchange with the counterions of the clay. The surfactant coions (Cl(-)) were found to be adsorbed simultaneously with the cationic part after a complete alkyl ammonium ion-exchange of montmorillonite (CEC). We observe that organoclay particles remain flocculated in aqueous medium in almost all the range of adsorption isotherms up to 1.38 CEC and afterward redisperse incompletely. The intercalation of surfactant in the interlamellar space was followed by X-ray measurements. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to obtain information about the adsorption layer at the interface. A calculation from geometrical considerations and from adsorption isotherms shows that below 1.38 CEC, there is a flat double layer in the interlamellar space and after this amount of adsorbed surfactant, an interstratified clay-surfactant mixed system is formed. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.