Quartz crystal microbalance experiments reveal structural changes in the Staphylococcus aureus biofilm in the presence of savirin

Quartz-crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) experiments show that green-fluorescent protein labelled Staphylococcus aureus adsorption to a gold QCM electrode is similar for a certain incubation period (here, 6 h) in the presence and absence of the quorum sensing inhibitor, savirin. After this period, cells continue to adsorb in the absence of savirin, but in its presence biofilm formation is severely compromised, with significant changes in the viscoelastic properties of the layer being observed.