ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Abdelkadir Karim1 , Nassima Didouh2,3, Rachid Achek1,4, Ibrahim Nabi5 and Ricardo Araujo6
1Faculty of Nature and Life and Earth Sciences, Djilali-Bounaama University, 44001, Khemis-Miliana, Algeria.
2Faculty of Nature and Life, Abou Bekr Belkaid University, Tlemcen, Algeria.
3Laboratoire de Microbiologie Applique a l’Agroalimentaire au Biomedical et a l’Environnement, 13000, Tlemcen, Algeria.
4Laboratory of Food Hygiene and Quality Assurance System, High National Veterinary School, Algiers 16059, Algeria.
5Laboratory of Biotechnology and Valorisation of Biological Resources BVRB, Faculty of Sciences, Yahia Fares University, Medea, 26000, Algeria.
6INEB – Instituto de Engenharia Biomedica, i3S – Instituto de Investigacao e Inovacaoem Saude, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Article Number: 11343 | © The Author(s). 2026
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2026;20(3):2429-2446. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.20.3.36
Received: 21 January 2026 | Accepted: 27 July 2026 | Published online: 01 September 2026
Issue online: September 2026
Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus colonizes the skin and nasal orifices of both humans and animals. Biofilm-related infections and acquired antimicrobial resistance render this bacterium a major health concern. This study examined the biofilm-forming capacity of eight S. aureus isolates originating from humans, sheep, and food matrices in northern Algeria. The efficiency of sanitizers (povidone–iodine [PVI], peracetic acid [PAA], quaternary ammonium compounds [QACs] and chlorhexidine [CHX]) in inhibiting and detaching biofilms was also assessed. Biofilm-production ability was assessed using a tissue culture plate. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration were measured for each sanitizer, and antibiotic susceptibility profiles were determined by performing the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assay. All S. aureus isolates demonstrated the ability to produce biofilms, and among these, food and sheep mastitis isolates exhibited a strong capacity for biofilm formation. CHX exhibited the highest efficacy in bacterial biofilm inhibition and was considered more potent than the other sanitizers (P < 0.0001). Further, it exhibited lower MIC interval values (0.98-1.9 µg/g). However, MIC interval values for PVI, PAA, and QACs were 3125-25000, 39.06-156.25, and 0.98-3.9 mg/L, respectively. PVI did not affect biofilm detachment at different concentrations. All isolates were sensitive to methicillin (with mecA/mecC genes not detected), gentamicin, sulfamethoxazole–trimethoprim, vancomycin, and amikacin; however, two isolates were resistant to erythromycin and clindamycin. These findings demonstrated the biofilm-forming potential of S. aureus isolates and confirmed the effectiveness of sanitizers against S. aureus isolated from different sources.

Keywords

Staphylococcus aureus, Biofilm, Sanitizers, Antimicrobial Resistance, Chlorhexidine, Peracetic Acid, Quaternary Ammonium

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© The Author(s) 2026. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.