Scanning Electron Microscopy of Staphylococcus Epidermidis Adherence to Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Catheters

Infections associated with the use of intravascular devices have been documented and have been reported to be related to duration of catheter usage. Recently, Eaton et al. reported that Staphylococcus epidermidis may attach to silastic catheters used in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) treatment. The following study presents findings using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of S. epidermidis adherence to silastic catheters in an in vitro model. In addition, sections of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) dialysis bags were also evaluated by SEM.The S. epidermidis strain RP62A which had been obtained in a previous outbreak of coagulase-negative staphylococcal sepsis at local hospitals was used in these experiments. The strain produced surface slime on exposure to glucose, whereas a nonadherent variant RP62A-NA, which was also used in these studies, failed to produce slime. Strains were grown overnight on blood agar plates at 37°C, harvested from the surface and resuspended in sterile saline (0.85%), centrifuged (3,000 rpm for 10 minutes) and then washed twice in 0.1 M phosphate-buffered saline at pH 7.0. Organisms were resuspended at a concentration of ca. 106 CFU/ml in: a) sterile unused dianeal at 4.25% dextrose, b) sterile unused dianeal at 1.5% dextrose, c) sterile used dialysate previously containing 4.25% dextrose taken from a CAPD patient, and d) sterile used dialysate previously containing 1.5% dextrose taken from a CAPD patient.