Table 3.
Protease-induced biofilm in S. epidermidis isolates from different isolation source.
| Source of Isolation (n = 53) |
Cathepsin G n (%) |
Proteinase-3 n (%) |
Cathepsin B n (%) |
MMP-9 n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| healthy conjunctiva (HC), n = 10 (18.8%) | 4 (40) | 10 (100) * | 3 (30) | 5 (50) |
| healthy skin (HS), n = 12 (22.6%) | 4 (33.3) | 9 (75) | 4 (33.3) | 4 (33.3) |
| ocular infection (OI), n = 8 (15%) | 5 (52.5%) | 7 (87.5) | 3 (37.5) | 5 (52.5) |
| prosthetic joint infection (PJI), n = 23 (43.4%) | 1 (4.3) | 5 (21.7) | 4 (17.4) | 3 (13) |
* Statistical difference when compared with other proteases according with Fisher analysis. Cathepsin G at 0.1, 1, 10, or 100 µg/mL; proteinase-3 at 0.25, 2.5 or 25 ng/mL; cathepsin B at 0.1, 1, 10, or 100 ng/mL; and metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) at 0.01, 0.1, 1, or 10 ng/mL. The isolates showed biofilm induction at different concentrations of the tested protease. For example, some isolates produced biofilm only at the lowest concentrations of proteases, others induced biofilm up to intermediate concentrations, and others did so at all tested concentrations. The table shows the total number of isolates that induced biofilm by proteases.