Quantifying bacterial adhesion on antifouling polymer brushes via single-cell force spectroscopy

Bacterial adhesion poses serious problems in food safety and biomedical applications. Antifouling polymer brushes have been shown to be effective as surface modifications to prevent biofilm formation from pathogenic bacteria. In this work, the adhesion of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis on seven types of brushes is examined by single-cell force spectroscopy. The brushes, known to possess excellent resistance to protein adsorption, greatly reduced the maximum force and the work required to detach the bacterium.