Evaluation of biofilm-forming ability of bacterial strains isolated from the roof of an old house.

The bacterial diversity associated with biofilm-forming ability was studied. Eighteen bacterial strains were isolated from a microbial film collected from the roof of an old house located in Sfax, Tunisia. The purity of these microorganisms was confirmed by microscopic observation after repeated streaking on a Tryptic Soy agar medium. Biofilm formation was estimated using preliminary tests including a motility test, microbial adhesion to solvents (MATS), and the Congo Red Agar method (CRA). Since these tests showed no significant result, microplate tests, such as crystal violet and resazurin assays, were used. The results obtained showed that strain S61 was able to form a biofilm within 24 h (OD570 = 4.87). The viability of the S61 biofilm with resazurin assessed with fluorescence measurement was about 1.5 × 103. The S61 strain was identified as Staphylococcus epidermidis. In the biofilm studied here, it was the most biofilm-forming bacterium and will be used as a bacterial model for studying anti-biofilm activity.