Biofilms—Impacts on Human Health and Its Relevance to Space Travel

Landry, Kyle S.; Morey, Jose M; Bharat, Bharat; Haney, Nora M.; Panesar, Sandip S.

doi:10.3390/microorganisms8070998

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 143 publications

(169 reference statements)

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“…Microbial biofilms in space can adapt in new environmental features such as microgravity and elevated radiation to allow for feasible growth. 17,18 Due to isolation from necessary replacement parts and medical resources, astronauts and equipment are more vulnerable to the bacterial exposure and microbial corrosion, respectively. 16,19 In 2010, biofilms caused a reduced flow rate in the water processor assembly unit on the International Space Station, and a filter replacement of every 3-6 months was recommended but deemed impractical due to limitation in logistics and crew time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Slippery lubricant-infused silica nanoparticulate film processing for anti-biofouling applications

Li Sip,

Jacobs,

Morales

et al. 2023

Journal of Applied Biomaterials & Functional Materials

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Microbial biofilm build-up in water distribution systems can pose a risk to human health and pipe material integrity. The impact is more devastating in space stations and to astronauts due to the isolation from necessary replacement parts and medical resources. As a result, there is a need for coatings to be implemented onto the inner region of the pipe to minimize the adherence and growth of biofilms. Lubricant-infused surfaces has been one such interesting material for anti-biofouling applications in which their slippery property promotes repellence to many liquids and thus prevents bacterial adherence. Textured and porous films are suitable substrate candidates to infuse and contain the lubricant. However, there is little investigation in utilizing a nanoparticulate thin film as the substrate material for lubricant infusion. A nanoparticulate film has high porosity within the structure which can promote greater lubricant infusion and retention. The implementation as a thin film structure aids to reduce material consumption and cost. In our study, we utilized a well-studied nanoporous thin film fabricated via layer-by-layer assembly of polycations and colloid silica and then calcination for greater stability. The film was further functionalized to promote fluorinated groups and improve affinity with a fluorinated lubricant. The pristine nanoporous film was characterized to determine its morphology, thickness, wettability, and porosity. The lubricant-infused film was then tested for its lubricant layer stability upon various washing conditions and its performance against bacterial biofilm adherence as a result of its slippery property. Overall, the modified silica nanoparticulate thin film demonstrated potential as a base substrate for lubricant-infused surface fabrication that repelled against ambient aqueous solvents and as an anti-biofouling coating that demonstrated low biofilm coverage and colony forming unit values. Further optimization to improve lubricant retention or incorporation of a secondary function can aid in developing better coatings for biofilm mitigation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Slippery lubricant-infused silica nanoparticulate film processing for anti-biofouling applications

Li Sip,

Jacobs,

Morales

et al. 2023

Journal of Applied Biomaterials & Functional Materials

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“…Bacteria adhesion and growth on materials are of great concern in many circumstances for public health and safety. In particular, textiles that we constantly contact can be exposed to numerous types of bacteria and can act as a media to deliver bacteria and spread infectious diseases [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Since the textiles have both roughened surfaces and pores within their volume, they provide a dynamic environment for bacteria to adhere, grow, and form biofilms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacteria Adhesion of Textiles Influenced by Wettability and Pore Characteristics of Fibrous Substrates

2021

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Bacteria adhesion on the surface is an initial step to create biofouling, which may lead to a severe infection of living organisms and humans. This study is concerned with investigating the textile properties including wettability, porosity, total pore volume, and pore size in association with bacteria adhesion. As model bacteria, Gram-negative, rod-shaped Escherichia coli and the Gram-positive, spherical-shaped Staphylococcus aureus were used to analyze the adhesion tendency. Electrospun webs made from polystyrene and poly(lactic acid) were used as substrates, with modification of wettability by the plasma process using either O2 or C4F8 gas. The pore and morphological characteristics of fibrous webs were analyzed by the capillary flow porometer and scanning electron microscopy. The substrate’s wettability appeared to be the primary factor influencing the cell adhesion, where the hydrophilic surface resulted in considerably higher adhesion. The pore volume and the pore size, rather than the porosity itself, were other important factors affecting the bacteria adherence and retention. In addition, the compact spatial distribution of fibers limited the cell intrusion into the pores, reducing the total amount of adherence. Thus, superhydrophobic textiles with the reduced total pore volume and smaller pore size would circumvent the adhesion. The findings of this study provide informative discussion on the characteristics of fibrous webs affecting the bacteria adhesion, which can be used as a fundamental design guide of anti-biofouling textiles.

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“… 1 Biofilms formed on human tissues and surfaces of medical devices, including implants, are implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic bacterial infections, such as urinary tract infections, pneumonia, orthopedic infections, oral infections, wound infections, and cystic fibrosis among others. 2 , 3 Bacterial biofilms, despite their beneficial use for biological stages of wastewater treatment, waste reactors, numerous food production systems, and space travel, 4 have enormous negative implications on human health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial Biofilm Destruction: A Focused Review On The Recent Use of Phage-Based Strategies With Other Antibiofilm Agents

Amankwah¹,

Abdella²,

Kassa³

2021

NSA

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Biofilms are bacterial communities that live in association with biotic or abiotic surfaces and enclosed in an extracellular polymeric substance. Their formation on both biotic and abiotic surfaces, including human tissue and medical device surfaces, pose a major threat causing chronic infections. In addition, current antibiotics and antiseptic agents have shown limited ability to completely remove biofilms. In this review, the authors provide an overview on the formation of bacterial biofilms and its characteristics, burden and evolution with phages. Moreover, the most recent possible use of phages and phage-derived enzymes to combat bacteria in biofilm structures is elucidated. From the emerging results, it can be concluded that despite successful use of phages and phage-derived products in destroying biofilms, they are mostly not adequate to eradicate all bacterial cells. Nevertheless, a combined therapy with the use of phages and/or phage-derived products with other antimicrobial agents including antibiotics, nanoparticles, and antimicrobial peptides may be effective approaches to remove biofilms from medical device surfaces and to treat their associated infections in humans.

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Biofilms—Impacts on Human Health and Its Relevance to Space Travel

Cited by 17 publications

References 143 publications

Slippery lubricant-infused silica nanoparticulate film processing for anti-biofouling applications

Slippery lubricant-infused silica nanoparticulate film processing for anti-biofouling applications

Bacteria Adhesion of Textiles Influenced by Wettability and Pore Characteristics of Fibrous Substrates

Bacterial Biofilm Destruction: A Focused Review On The Recent Use of Phage-Based Strategies With Other Antibiofilm Agents

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