The adhesion capability of S. aureus cells is heterogeneously distributed over the cell envelope

Understanding and controlling microbial adhesion is an important biomedical problem. However, many properties of the adhesion process of bacteria are still unknown, for example the distribution of adhesive strength over the cell wall. While a patchy colloid model for adhesion has been developed recently for Gram-negative Escherichia coli cells, a comparable model for Gram-positive cells is not known. Here, we use single-cell force spectroscopy to measure the adhesion of Staphylococcus aureus at different positions on tailored surfaces. We find a heterogenous distribution of the adhesion forces with varying degrees of intensity. By comparing these results to simulations, we obtain the distribution of adhesive strength on the cell wall: The cells have several distinct spots of high adhesion capability, similar to the patchy colloid model. We discuss implications of our results for the development of new materials and the design and analysis of future studies.