Effect of iron limitation on the amount of slime produced by strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis.

To investigate the effect of iron limitation on the amount of slime production by most strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis, ethylenediamine-di-o-hydroxyphenol acetic acid (EDDA), was added to the growth medium and twenty clinically relevant strains were assayed for slime production during growth in standard tryptic soy broth (TSB) and iron-limited TSB. Findings revealed that the density of the biofilm which formed on the base of microtitre plates was dependent on the degree of iron limitation, characteristics of the test strains and the stage of the growth cycle.