Adherence and biofilm production of invasive and non-invasive isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes after hyaluronidase treatment

Biofilm represents a protected mode, which allows bacteria to survive and proliferate in a hostile environment. Little is known whether the ability to form biofilms is a characteristic of all groups of A streptococcal (GAS) strains and whether there is a relationship between biofilm formation and a clinical source of isolates. A capsule physically covers superficial adhesins and other proteins, essential in bacterial attachment, as the first step in biofilm formation. It is also possible that hyaluronic acid could form part of the complex extracellular polymer matrix of biofilms and contribute to the three-dimensional architecture of the biofilm. The aim of this study was to investigate if there are differences in adherence and biofilm production between GAS strains with different pathogenic potential, and the possible role of the capsule in this process. A total of 122 isolates were divided into three groups: noninvasive (NI), low invasive (LI) and highly invasive (HI). Adherence, SpeB and biofilm production were tested before and after hyaluronidase treatment. There was no difference in adherence between untreated GAS strains, but after capsule removal, NI and HI isolates adhered significantly better than the LI group. Before treatment, isolates of the HI group were the worst biofilm producers, but after capsule removal, they became the best biofilm producers. There was no difference in SpeB production among GAS isolates, regardless of the hyaluronidase treatment.