ENZYMATIC REMOVAL AND DISINFECTION OF BACTERIAL BIOFILMS

Model biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, P seudomonas fluorescens, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were made on steel and polypropylene substrata. Plaque-resembling biofilms of Streptococc us mutans, Actinomyces, viscosus, and Fusobacterium nucleatum were mad e on saliva-coated hydroxyapatite. The activity of enzymes against bac terial cells in biofilm was measured by fluorescence microscopy and an indirect conductance test in which evolution of carbon dioxide was me asured. Glucose oxidase combined with lactoperoxidase was bactericidal against biofilm bacteria but did not remove the biofilm from the subs trata. A complex mixture of polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzymes was abl e to remove bacterial biofilm from steel and polypropylene substrata b ut did not have a significant bactericidal activity. Combining oxidore ductases with polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzymes resulted in bacterici dal activity as well as removal of the biofilm.