Osteomyelitic rat tibiae were examined by scanning electron microscopy for the extracellular glycocalyx of Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus and fractured tibiae from normal rats were incubated together in vitro and examined similarly. Low magnification of endosteal Haversian portals from tibiae studied in vivo and in vitro disclosed adherent S. aureus exuding glycocalyx that buried the organism in dense, coccoid-studded biofilms. The biofilm became progressively more dense over time in vitro and was exuberant at day 70 in vivo. S. aureus incubated in vitro without tibiae disclosed no glycocalyx. Bone chips studied in vitro disclosed staphylococci more commonly near the endosteal Haversian portals than on the intervening endosteal surfaces (mean +/- SE, 280 +/- 75 vs. 12 +/- 3 per 2,500-micron 2 field; P less than .002 by Student's t test). Organisms within ostia were not counted, although they occluded 10%-40% of the ostium. Staphylococci were adherent to exposed woven material, perhaps collagen.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.