Bacterial Biofilm Growth on 3D-Printed Materials

Abstract

Recent advances in 3D printing have led to a rise in the use of 3D printed materials in prosthetics and external medical devices. These devices, while inexpensive, have not been adequately studied for their ability to resist biofouling and biofilm buildup. Bacterial biofilms are a major cause of biofouling in the medical field and, therefore, hospital-acquired, and medical device infections. These surface-attached bacteria are highly recalcitrant to conventional antimicrobial agents and result in chronic infections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and medical officials have considered 3D printed medical devices as alternatives to conventional devices, due to manufacturing shortages. This abundant use of 3D printed devices in the medical fields warrants studies to assess the ability of different microorganisms to attach and colonize to such surfaces. In this study, we describe methods to determine bacterial biofouling and biofilm formation on 3D printed materials. We explored the biofilm-forming ability of multiple opportunistic pathogens commonly found on the human body including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus to colonize eight commonly used polylactic acid (PLA) polymers. Biofilm quantification, surface topography, digital optical microscopy, and 3D projections were employed to better understand the bacterial attachment to 3D printed surfaces. We found that biofilm formation depends on surface structure, hydrophobicity, and that there was a wide range of antimicrobial properties among the tested polymers. We compared our tested materials with commercially available antimicrobial PLA polymers.

Modular 3D-Printed Peg Biofilm Device for Flexible Setup of Surface-Related Biofilm Studies

“…However, surface features, such as roughness or hydrophobicity, determined by the peg material itself, the additive manufacturing technology, or different coatings, led to differences in biofilm formation in a species-or strain-dependent manner. This is in agreement with a recent study (Hall et al, 2021) that suggested that antibacterial properties (e.g., incorporated metals), surface roughness, and hydrophobicity are the major determinants for biofilm growth by E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus on 3D-printed polylactic acid-based materials. The authors observed less biofilm growth on polymers filled with metals as well as on smoother and less hydrophobic surfaces; however, the strongest biofilm-forming strain in their study (P. aeruginosa) did not show the same correlation.…”

“…While we have shown that biofilms formed at 48 h indeed do not show any difference due to peg location, the biological variation (e.g., in terms of time to biofilm maturation) between replicates at earlier timepoints or when applying certain treatments can make the analysis more challenging compared with a situation where the same biofilm is analyzed before and after treatment, or at different timepoints. Although the validation of the system presented here was done on Enterobacteriaceae strains, we do not see any constraints in studying other microbes, as many have been shown to form biofilms on 3D-printed materials (Palka et al, 2020;Hall et al, 2021), and silicone devices (Singhai et al, 2012).…”

“…Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, serves as a fast and cost-effective way to manufacture custom-designed objects, including medically relevant products, for example, surgical guides, implants, and other devices (Paul et al, 2018). Some materials used in additive manufacturing of medical devices, such as polylactic acid polymers (Hall et al, 2021) or titanium plates (Palka et al, 2020), have recently been studied for their propensity for bacterial attachment and growth. Microfluidics systems frequently rely on 3D-printed molds for casting silicone (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)) chips for biofilm growth (Kim et al, 2012).…”

A Novel 3D Titanium Surface Produced by Selective Laser Sintering to Counteract Streptococcus oralis Biofilm Formation

“…Changes in the biofilm composition of Streptococci species are observed between the fourth and eighth hours of biofilm formation. The first colonizers correlate positively with each other and influence the colonization of bacteria of orange and red complexes during the development of peri-implantitis [17].…”

Bacterial Biofilm Formation on Nano-Copper Added PLA Suited for 3D Printed Face Masks

“…Therefore the demand for antimicrobial properties has also entered this 3D filament field. Some companies already sell filaments provided with antimicrobial properties [12].…”