Aim: The work aimed to study the morphology of colonies and their comparison by features of the formation of Yersinia enterocolitica biofilms.

Materials and Methods: Bacteria were cultured on a Yersinia Selective Agar medium ("CIN-agar") at 28°C for 24 h. The microorganisms were grown in meat-peptone broth with 1.0% glucose to measure the absolute values of the optical density of the culture. The optical density of the liquid was determined in a microplate photometric analyzer Immunochem-2100 (HTI, USA) at a wavelength of 490 nm. For the study of biofilms, the specimens were fixed for 3-5 h in pairs of 25.0% solution of glutaraldehyde (according to DV), and pairs of a 1.0% aqueous solution of osmic acid (OSO4) were used for contrasting for 2-3 min. The specimens were examined with stereoscopic microscopy "BIOMED MS-1 Stereo" (Russia) and scanning electron microscope "TM 3030 plus" (Holland).

Results: With stereoscopic microscopy of the colonies of Y. enterocolitica, the S-forms had an elevated intensely colored center, radial striation along the periphery, smooth edges, d ≤ 1.0 mm. R-form colonies had a dark color and a dry surface, were tuberous and had a dense center with a peripheral ridge, rugged edges, d ≥ 1.5 mm. The optical density of the Y. enterocolitica S-form showed that this type of microorganism belongs to the moderate producers of biofilms since the optical density of the sample (density of the sample - Ds) exceeded the optical density of control (density of the control - Dc) by 3 times. In Y. enterocolitica R-form (D ≤ 0.197) weakly produced biofilms, the optical density of the sample exceeded the optical density of the control by <2 times.

Conclusion: The ability to form biofilms, the variability of phenotypic features, and the multiplicity of virulence factors of bacteria significantly reduce the effectiveness of diagnostic studies. The development of accelerated methods of detection and differentiation of the virulent properties of pathogenic bacteria will allow scientifically to substantiate and develop a set of measures aimed at preventing animal diseases and obtaining safe livestock products to prevent human diseases. Thus, we need to pay attention to which forms of colonies do Y. enterocolitica form on solid nutrient media: S- or R-forms. Through this study, we know that bacteria-forming S-shaped colonies are more capable of forming biofilms than R-forms. It means that they are more pathogenic and can cause persistent infections due to adhesion and biofilm formation.

Keywords: adhesion, biofilms, clusters, electron microscopy, heteromorphism, matrix, optical microscopy, stereoscopic microscopy, Yersinia.

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