A role for the mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin in biofilm formation by Vibrio cholerae El Tor

While much has been learned regarding the genetic basis of host-pathogen in teractions, less is known about the molecular basis of a pathogen's surviva l in the environment. Biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces represents a su rvival strategy utilized by many microbes. Here it is shown that Vibrio cho lerae El Tor does not use the virulence-associated toxin-coregulated pilus to form biofilms on borosilicate but rather uses the mannose-sensitive hema gglutinin (MSHA) pilus, which plays no role in pathogenicity. In contrast, attachment of V. cholerae to chitin is shown to be independent of the MSHA pilus, suggesting divergent pathways for biofilm formation on nutritive and nonnutritive abiotic surfaces.