Author(s)

Hafida Zahir¹, Hamadi Fatima², Lekchiri Souad¹, Mliji El Mostafa³, Ellouali Mostafa¹, Latrache Hassan¹

¹Bioprocess and Biointerface Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Techniques, Sultan Moulay Slimane University, Beni Mellal, Morocco.
²Laboratory of Biotechnology and Valorisation of Natural Resources, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University Ibn Zohr, Agadir, Morocco.
³Food Safety & Environmental Department, Institute Pasteur, Casablanca, Morocco.

This study aims to understand the relationship between capabilities of Escherichia coli strains to form biofilm and serotype groups expressed on cell surface. Sixteen strains of E. coli were originally isolated from different food processing lines in different Moroccan cities. Strains serotyped based on their O (somatic), H (flagellar), and K (capsular) surface antigen profiles using different antiserums. Biofilm assays carried out in 96-well microtiter dishes using the method of O’Toole et al. Our results show that no clear relation observed between origin and serotype groups. In the other hand, we observed that not all studied strains were able to form biofilm. Furthermore, combination of antigens H40 and K11 appears to be involved in biofilm formation. In fact, the H antigen seems to be implicated in the placement of the bacterial cells near the surface and the K antigen may play a role in physicochemical interactions between bacteria and inert surface.

Biofilm, Escherichia coli, Cell Surface, Serotype, Antigen, Bacterial Adhesion

Zahir, H. , Fatima, H. , Souad, L. , Mostafa, M. , Mostafa, E. and Hassan, L. (2015) Role of Cell Surface Structures in Biofilm Formation by Escherichia coli. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 6, 1160-1165. doi: 10.4236/fns.2015.612121.