| Using Escherichia coli 3300 as a model bacterium, it was demonstrated that hydrophobic cloths such as polyester provide higher levels of adhesion than hydrophilic cotton, and thus allow for higher rates of bacterial immobilization. Immobilization of E. coli 3300 was demonstrated to be a two stage process, which consists of bacterial adhesion followed by bacterial growth inside the cloth structure. All the gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria examined exhibited greater adhesion on hydrophobic cloths. Since coating of the cloths with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) greatly reduced adhesion levels, it was concluded that hydrophobic interaction is a dominant force involved in bacterial adhesion. The glutaraldehyde treatment of PVA-coated cloth greatly stabilized the PVA coating. |
