Adherence of microorganisms to breast prostheses: an in vitro study

The quantitative and morphological characteristics of microbial adherence of four organisms--Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans--to the surfaces of different breast prostheses were observed. Semiquantitative adherence studies based on a modification of Maki's roll culture technique even after short contact times showed (1) increased microbial adherence at higher concentrations of the organisms and (2) differences in adherence properties between gram-positive bacteria and other organisms tested, noted also at lower organism concentrations. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to identify microorganisms on foam-covered prostheses, however, revealed organisms in the interstitial spaces that were not recovered by the plating technique. Other features on SEM were extracellular "slime" produced by S. epidermidis, which appears to act as a cement by which bacteria are held against prosthetic surfaces. These in-vitro findings suggest that brief exposure of the prostheses to a few organisms, particularly gram-positive bacteria, at the time of implantation would be sufficient inoculum for bacterial adherence to prosthetic surfaces.