Biofilm Mode of Growth of <i>Streptococcus intermedius</i> Favored by a Competence-Stimulating Signaling Peptide

Abstract

Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria use quorum sensing to coordinate population behavior. In several streptococci, quorum sensing mediated by competence-stimulating peptides (CSP) is associated with development of competence for transformation. We show here that a synthetic CSP favored the biofilm mode of growth of Streptococcus intermedius without affecting the rate of culture growth.