Occurrence of lectins and hydrophobicity of bacteria obtained from biofilmof hospital catheters and water pipes

Bacteria isolated from biofilms of water distribution pipes and colonized c atheters from hospitalized patients were studied for their haemagglutinatio n ability, expression of lectins and hydrophobicity. Higher haemagglutinati on ability of clinical strains for human red blood cells was demonstrated, which could be an expression of their adaptation to the human ecosystem. En vironmental strains had higher hydrophobicity, possibly related to adaptati on to a low nutritive ecosystem. Expression of lectins was relatively low a nd comparable in both bacterial populations, but carbohydrate specificities were very different, possibly related to a different implication of these structures in the two ecosystems.