Selective bacterial adherance to cardiac endothelial cells in tissue culture

The adherence of 16 gram-positive bacterial isolates and eight gram-negative bacterial isolates to cardiac endothelial cells from rabbits, chickens, pigs and opossums was evaluated using a tissue culture system. A single coagulase-negative staphylococcus was significantly more adherent over cell cultures and controls than any other organism tested. Adherent bacteria were sticky to most surfaces tested. No differences in adherence were demonstrated between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria when they were compared as groups.