Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an obligate human pathogen that causes gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease in humans that is becoming untreatable given high levels of antibiotic resistance expressed by N. gonorrhoeae. N. gonorrhoeae was shown to form biofilms in vivo and in vitro. Biofilms are aggregates of one or more types of microorganisms growing on different surfaces. Biofilms are important because they increase bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics and host defenses. Here, we analyze whether the commensal (non-pathogenic) species N. lactamica, a relative of N. gonorrhoeae, can provide insight on biofilm formation by Neisseria species. Our hypothesis is that N. lactamica will produce a biofilm, similarly to N. gonorrhoeae. We performed static model biofilm assays and measured biofilm formation, as previously described. Our results show that N. lactamica can form a stable biofilm in vitro. In conclusion, our hypothesis can be accepted. To further this research, the biofilms can be tested in the presence of polyamines since polyamines impair biofilm formation of N. gonorrhoeae. This would help understand whether related species behave similarly in the presence of this physiologically relevant compound.
