Cell surface hydrophobicity of Klebsiella strains.

On 14 encapsulated Klebsiella strains with different K-antigens and their non-encapsulated mutants the type of fimbriae present and the grade of hydrophobicity of their cell surface (expressed as SAT-value) were investigated. It could be demonstrated that clear correlations exist between the fimbriation of Klebsiella bacteria and their cell surface hydrophobicity. On the other hand, the presence of capsules and the type of K-antigen showed no influence on the degree of hydrophobicity.