Synopsis
Biomineralisation occurs in nature in many forms, some of which are beneficial to humans and some detrimental. Biomineralisation leads to the formation of the skeleton but also to pathogenic calcification in arteries, on heart valves, kidney stones and medical devices such as urinary cathe-ters. Several pathogenic calcifications are associated with bacterial activity. Can we exploit this capacity for our benefit?
Serratia sp. NCIMB 40259 is a non-pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium which is capable of growing as a biofilm on almost all surfaces. A bacterial cell-wall located acid phosphatase enzyme liberates phosphate ions from organic phosphates and these combine with Ca
2+ ions to form hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals. We discuss the potential use of Serratia HA for medical and other applications.
Key words: biomineralisation, hydroxyapatite, Serratia, biofilm, biomaterials, water purification
