Static Biofilm Cultures of Gram‐Positive Pathogens Grown in a Microtiter Format Used for Anti‐Biofilm Drug Discovery

Abstract An in vitro assay is presented for culturing staphylococcal biofilms and biofilms of nonmotile Gram‐positive bacteria under static conditions in microtiter assay plates, and for the quantification of biofilm growth, using a simple staining procedure that measures amounts of bacterial cells and extracellular matrix. This basic assay can be adapted readily to study several aspects of biofilm formation, for high‐throughput screening to identify small molecule inhibitors of biofilm formation or biofilm‐defective mutants, and for quantifying the anti‐biofilm activity of biofilm inhibitors. Curr. Protoc. Pharmacol . 50:13A.8.1‐13A.8.23. © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.