The effect of phospholipids on the adhesive properties of bacteria

: The present work shows that choline-containing phospholipids (lysophosphatidylcholine and lyso-1-alkyl-sn-glycerophosphocholine) inhibit the adhesion of some strains: Bacterium bifidum 1, B. adolescentis MC-42, B. longum B. 379M, Staphylococcus aureus P 209 and Klebsiella pneumoniae 52. Phosphatidylcholine produces no effect on the adhesiveness of these strains, while platelet activation factor stimulates adhesiveness only in strain S. aureus 209. The stimulating or inhibiting action of phospholipids on the adhesive process of microorganisms depends on the species of bacteria and on the concentration of reagents.