Bacterial Adherence on Fabrics by a Radioisotope Labeling Method

Abstract

A radioisotope labeling technique was used to quantify the adherence of Staphy lococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Escherichia coli on eight fabrics. The extent of bacterial adherence depends on the bacterial type, the fiber content, and the contact condition. Staphylococci adhered more than Escherichia coli, and Staph. epidermidis adhered more than Staph. aureus on all fabrics. There were apparently different degrees of bacterial adherence in the eight fabrics, but the ranking orders of adherence depended to a great extent on the contact condition. Bacterial adherence was increased by both agitation and saturated wetting due to increasing bacterial cell- fiber contact. There was an increasing trend in bacterial adherence on all fabrics as contact time increased up to 24 hours, with occasional zig-zag patterns. On most fabrics, cleaning and autoclaving did significantly influence the extent of bacterial adherence to the fabrics. The quantitative data along with the morphology of bacterial adherence by SEM suggested that factors other than hydrophilicity, water absorbency, and surface roughness may affect the extent of bacterial adherence to the fibers.