Quantitative analysis of biofilm EPS uronic acid content.

The uronic acids assay was evaluated for its ability to measure the amount of uronic acids contained within a biofilm exopolysaccharide matrix. Cytophaga lytica, a marine bacterium isolated from a naturally occurring biofilm, was used to form single-species biofilms for the method assessment. The assay was found to be simple, reproducible, and sensitive to 1 microg levels, suggesting its potential for application as a screening technique for compounds that inhibit the production of microbial biofilm exopolysaccharide containing uronic acids.