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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2006;295:2239.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Researchers have discovered that a unique adhesive made by the water-dwelling Caulobacter crescentus bacterium can withstand the stress of about 70 N/mm², the equivalent of 5 tons per square inch, making it the strongest biological adhesive ever measured (Tsang PH et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006;103:5764-5768). A number of potential medical and engineering applications for such a natural glue can be envisioned, particularly because its effectiveness in wet environments may make it a promising adhesive for procedures such as surgeries.

To get their results, the investigators first allowed individual C crescentus cells to attach to a thin flexible pipette, then used a suction pipette to grab and pull at each cell, measuring the force needed for detachment. More than twice as strong as commercial "super glue," which breaks when a shear force of 18 to 28 N/mm² is applied, the bacterial . . . [Full Text of this Article]