Strategies for combating bacterial biofilm infections

Abstract

Formation of biofilm is a survival strategy for bacteria and fungi to adapt to their living environment, especially in the hostile environment. Under the protection of biofilm, microbial cells in biofilm become tolerant and resistant to antibiotics and the immune responses, which increases the difficulties for the clinical treatment of biofilm infections. Clinical and laboratory investigations demonstrated a perspicuous correlation between biofilm infection and medical foreign bodies or indwelling devices. Clinical observations and experimental studies indicated clearly that antibiotic treatment alone is in most cases insufficient to eradicate biofilm infections. Therefore, to effectively treat biofilm infections with currently available antibiotics and evaluate the outcomes become important and urgent for clinicians. The review summarizes the latest progress in treatment of clinical biofilm infections and scientific investigations, discusses the diagnosis and treatment of different biofilm infections and introduces the promising laboratory progress, which may contribute to prevention or cure of biofilm infections. We conclude that, an efficient treatment of biofilm infections needs a well-established multidisciplinary collaboration, which includes removal of the infected foreign bodies, selection of biofilm-active, sensitive and well-penetrating antibiotics, systemic or topical antibiotic administration in high dosage and combinations, and administration of anti-quorum sensing or biofilm dispersal agents.

Prevenção da formação de biofilmes em marcapassos artificiais: é viável?

“…(2,(4)(5)(6) Moreover, the vast majority of medical devices can be colonized by biofilm, considering that intravenous catheters, vascular prostheses, prosthetic heart valves, orthopedic devices, and pacemakers are important causes of severe infections. (7) In the last few decades, increases in the number of therapy applications with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIED) has resulted in increases in implant usage and, consequently, increases in infection rates. In the case of artificial pacemakers, although their implantation be considered a low-complexity procedure with a reduced complication rate, infections are a common occurrence, with incidence ranging from 1% to 5%.…”

Biofilm and Diabetic Foot Infections

“…Ayrıca antimikrobiyallerle QS inhibisyonu özelliği olan ultrason dalgaları, elektrik ve ultraviyole ışık kombinasyonlarının kullanımı üzerine de çalışmalar ve deneyimler gerekmektedir (39). Son yıllarda biyofilm infeksiyonları tedavisinde yapılan çalışmalar özellikle QS, ikincil mesajcı nükleotidler ve bakteriyel amiloid proteinlerini hedef alan çalışmalardır (64). QS inhibisyonu sinyal iletişim ağının farklı noktaları üzerine olup bu basamaklar şöyle sıralanabilir (65,66) (67).…”

Managing Peri-Implantitis and Peri-Mucositis with Direct Medication Delivery

“…Antimicrobial wound management involving biofilm control requires the ability of the medicament to penetrate the biofilm matrix with sufficient effectiveness to modify the microenvironment in order to alter the biofilm. The biofilm is seldom completely eradicated during treatment and the biofilm continues to regrow, resulting in a need for medication reapplication 15 .…”