Production of N-acyl homoserine lactones by Gram-negative bacteria isolated from contact lens wearers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the production of N‐acyl‐homoserine lactone (AHL) signal molecules in ocular Gram‐negative bacteria. A total of 91 ocular strains isolated from contact lens adverse response patients and asymptomatic subjects were used in the study. These included Acinetobacter, Aeromonas hydrophila, Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia liquefaciens, Serratia marcescens, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The biosensor strains Chromobacterium violaceum mutant CV026 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens A136 were used for detection of AHL signal molecules. The majority of A. hydrophila, P. aeruginosa, and S. liquefaciens strains produced more than one AHL molecule. Serratia marcescens strains were AHL positive only under detection of A136. The rest of the test species did not show any AHL production under the current detection system. These findings indicate that AHL‐ mediated quorum‐sensing systems are present in some of the ocular bacteria, and the different signal molecules may be involved with the quorum‐sensing pathway in the other bacterial species.