Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) is a common etiological agent of urinary tract infections, particularly those associated with catheterization. P. mirabilis efficiently forms biofilms on different surfaces and shows a multicellular behavior called ‘swarming’, mediated by flagella. To date, the role of flagella in P. mirabilis biofilm formation has been under debate. In this study, we assessed the role of P. mirabilis flagella in biofilm formation using an isogenic allelic replacement mutant unable to express flagellin. Different approaches were used, such as the evaluation of cell surface hydrophobicity, bacterial motility and migration across catheter sections, measurements of biofilm biomass and biofilm dynamics by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy in static and flow models. Our findings indicate that P. mirabilis flagella play a role in biofilm formation, although their lack does not completely avoid biofilm generation. Our data suggest that impairment of flagellar function can contribute to biofilm prevention in the context of strategies focused on particular bacterial targets.

奇异变形杆菌 （P. mirabilis）是尿路感染的常见病原体，尤其是与导尿相关的感染。奇异果在不同的表面上有效地形成生物膜，并表现出由鞭毛介导的称为“集群”的多细胞行为。迄今为止，鞭毛在奇异果生物膜形成中的作用一直存在争议。在这项研究中，我们使用无法表达鞭毛蛋白的同基因等位基因替代突变体评估了奇异果鞭毛在生物膜形成中的作用。使用了不同的方法，例如评估细胞表面疏水性、细菌运动性和跨导管部分的迁移、通过静态和流动模型中的免疫荧光和共聚焦显微镜测量生物膜生物量和生物膜动力学。我们的研究结果表明奇异果鞭毛在生物膜形成中发挥作用，尽管它们的缺乏并不能完全避免生物膜的生成。我们的数据表明，在针对特定细菌靶标的策略中，鞭毛功能受损有助于预防生物膜。