Control of staphylococcal adhesion to polymethylmethacrylate and enhancement of susceptibility to antibiotics by poloxamer 407.

We studied the antiadhesive effect of Poloxamer 407 (P407), together with modifications in the antimicrobial susceptibility of residual adherent staphylococci. Bacterial adherence was markedly inhibited (77% to more than 99.9%) whether polymethylmethacrylate was exposed to P407 before or during the adherence assay. Furthermore, residual adherent staphylococci appeared to be more susceptible to antibiotic activity, suggesting that combination of P407 with antibiotics could be a promising approach to the prevention of infection of foreign material.