Evaluation of hydrophobicity and adherence of Neisseria meningitidis strains and a study of their correlation by analysis of alterations induced by antibiotics.

Surface hydrophobicity and adherence to human buccal epithelial cells were evaluated in four Neisseria meningitidis strains. Hydrophobicity was measured by partition into p-xylene in the presence or absence of ammonium sulphate, whereas radioactivity-labelled bacteria were used to estimate the ability to adhere to buccal cells by liquid scintillation techniques. Eight antibiotics were employed to induce modifications in the two parameters in order to estimate their possible relationship. The presence of ammonium sulphate enhanced the partition into p-xylene and hence the hydrophobicity values obtained. There was no correlation between adherence and hydrophobicity (no matter what the method employed to evaluate the latter). The effect of the antibiotics varied as a function of the strain, method and/or parameter tested.