Adherence measured by microtiter assay as a virulence marker for Staphylococcus epidermidis infections.

Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from clinical sources showed a wide range of abilities to adhere to glass and plastic materials. The degree of adherence depended on a number of factors, most notably, the composition of the growth medium. Adherence was enhanced by the addition of glucose or oleic acid to the growth medium and inhibited by serum. We have demonstrated a statistically significant association between the quantitative assessment of adherence to polystyrene tissue culture plates and clinical relevance. No such association was found when adherence was assessed by the qualitative adherence assay. Possible new approaches for assessing the clinical relevance of coagulase-negative staphylococcal isolates are discussed.