Natural Bio-actives Acting Against Clinically Important Bacterial Biofilms

Abstract

Biofilm research is growing rapidly due to the widespread existence of biofilms in pathogens and their resistance to a variety of antimicrobial therapies. World Health Organization in 2017 categorised pathogens into three categories based on their AMR [Antimicrobial resistance] and severity of infection viz. critical, high and medium. Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and organisms belonging to Enterobacteriaceae family are top priority pathogens- ‘critical’, amongst which the majority of them are reported to cause the infection due to biofilm formation. As antibiotic resistance has increased tremendously in the last few years, the current research is concentrated on the development of effective approaches to inhibit biofilm formation by bacteria. Anti-biofilm activity is mediated by a spectrum of molecules obtained from plants, mammals, fungi, microbes, and marine sponges. The chapter gives a comprehensive idea about natural bioactives from plant and other sources that act as anti-biofilm agents. Clinical validation of these bioactives will aid the medical field with alternate preventive and treatment methods against pathogenic biofilms.

Fatty Acid Profiles and Biological Activities of the Vegetable Oils of Argania spinosa, Pinus halepensis and Pistacia atlantica Grown in Tunisia: A Preliminary Study

“…However, contrary to what was previously observed, P. atlantica oil could have been more effective vs. S. aureus . The efficacy of P. atlantica oil against the mature biofilm of A. baumannii confirmed this plant’s usefulness in counteracting emerging, clinically important pathogens and their biofilms [ 39 ]. The oil of P. halepensis showed good capacity to inhibit the biofilm of different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria [ 33 ], also demonstrating good performance in eradicating multispecies oral biofilms [ 40 ].…”