BIOFILM Formation: A Comprehensive Review (original) (raw)

Review on Biofilm and Microbial Adhesion

Biofilms were observed in 1674 by Antonie Van Leuwenhoek in his primitive microscopic observation. Biofilm is defined as a structural community of bacterial cells enclosed in a self-produced polymeric matrix and adherent to an inert or living surface. Biofilm may form on living or nonliving surface and can be prevalent in natural, industrial and hospital settings. Biofilm development is considered to progress in five stages (Reversibleattachment, irreversible attachment, maturation I, maturation II and dispersion). Biofilm formation is regulated by different genetic and environmental factors. Genetic studies show that bacterial motility, cell membrane proteins, extracellular polysaccharides and signaling molecules play a significant role in biofilm formation. On the other hand, different signals from environment such as nutrients, oxygen, temperature and pH take part in regulation of biofilm formation. Biofilms have negative and positive attributes in home and industries. The mechanism of resistance of biofilm towards antimicrobial therapy is not yet explained but on hypothesis it is due to delayed penetration, altered growth rate and other physiological changes. In elimination of biofilm, combinations of physical and chemical methods are needed. Finally further studies on mechanisms of their resistance towards therapy are recommended.

Bacterial Adhesion and Biofilms on Surfaces

Progress in Natural Science, 2008

Bacterial adhesion has become a significant problem in industry and in the domicile, and much research has been done for deeper understanding of the processes involved. A generic biological model of bacterial adhesion and population growth called the bacterial biofilm growth ...

Bacterial Adhesion Forces with Substratum Surfaces and the Susceptibility of Biofilms to Antibiotics

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2012

Biofilms causing biomaterial-associated infection resist antibiotic treatment and usually necessitate the replacement of infected implants. Here we relate bacterial adhesion forces and the antibiotic susceptibility of biofilms on uncoated and polymer brushcoated silicone rubber. Nine strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa adhered more weakly to brush-coated silicone rubber (؊0.05 ؎ 0.03 to ؊0.51 ؎ 0.62 nN) than to uncoated silicone rubber (؊1.05 ؎ 0.46 to . Biofilms of weakly adhering organisms on polymer brush coatings remained in a planktonic state, susceptible to gentamicin, unlike biofilms formed on uncoated silicone rubber.

Physico-chemistry of bacterial transmission versus adhesion

Advances in colloid and interface science, 2017

Bacterial adhesion is a main problem in many biomedical, domestic, natural and industrial environments and forms the onset of the formation of a biofilm, in which adhering bacteria grow into a multi-layered film while embedding themselves in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances. It is usually assumed that bacterial adhesion occurs from air or by convective-diffusion from a liquid suspension, but often bacteria adhere by transmission from a bacterially contaminated donor to a receiver surface. Therewith bacterial transmission is mechanistically different from adhesion, as it involves bacterial detachment from a donor surface followed by adhesion to a receiver one. Transmission is further complicated when the donor surface is not covered with a single layer of adhering bacteria but with a multi-layered biofilm, in which case bacteria can be transmitted either by interfacial failure at the biofilm-donor surface or through cohesive failure in the biofilm. Transmission through ...

ROLE OF CHEMICAL INTERACTIONS IN BACTERIAL ADHESION TO POLYMER SURFACES

Development of biomaterial-related infections is attracting an increasing interest due to the significant percentage of implant failure in the hospital care. Recent literature puts in evidence the dependence of the infection risk on the different biomaterials used, because of the different interactions between material surface and micro-organisms. Despite this, the mechanisms underlying the adhesion of bacteria to the biomaterial surface are still unclear. Aim of this work is to study the initial events of the processes responsible for the bacterial adhesion on polymers in order to prevent the development of bacterial infections and the consequent failure and replacement of biomedical devices. Electrostatic and Lifshitz-van der Waals forces are usually considered responsible for the interactions at the biomaterial interface. A new term that involves Lewis acid-base interactions is here introduced to better describe the bacterial adhesion to the polymer surface. Two requirements are needed to test this hypothesis: the development of an ideal polymeric surface in terms of chemical and morphological properties and the choice of a specific bacterial strain to be utilized as ''probe''. Experiments were worked out using an Escherichia coli (GramÀ) strain that represent one of the principal isolates from infected biomaterial implants and its adhesion was investigated on polymers having different acid/basic character. The findings indicate that the bacterial adhesion is influenced by the chemical properties of the polymeric surface. These results may be interpreted taking into account a mechanism in which the acid/base (Lewis) interaction plays an important role. r

Escherichia coli adhesion, biofilm development and antibiotic susceptibility on biomedical materials

Journal of biomedical materials research. Part A, 2015

The aim of this work was to test materials typically used in the construction of medical devices regarding their influence in the initial adhesion, biofilm development and antibiotic susceptibility of Escherichia coli biofilms. Adhesion and biofilm development was monitored in 12-well microtiter plates containing coupons of different biomedical materials-silicone (SIL), stainless steel (SS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-and glass (GLA) as control. The susceptibility of biofilms to ciprofloxacin and ampicillin was assessed, and the antibiotic effect in cell morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The surface hydrophobicity of the bacterial strain and materials was also evaluated from contact angle measurements. Surface hydrophobicity was related with initial E. coli adhesion and subsequent biofilm development. Hydrophobic materials, such as SIL, SS, and PVC, showed higher bacterial colonization than the hydrophilic GLA. Silicone was the surface with the greatest numbe...

Adhesion of biofilms to inert surfaces: A molecular level approach directed at the marine environment

Biofouling, 1996

Protein/ligand interactions involved in mediating adhesion between microorganisms and biological surfaces have been well-characterized in some cases (e.g. pathogen/host interactions). The strategies microorganisms employ for attachment to inert surfaces have not been so clearly elucidated. An experimental approach is presented which addresses the issues from the point of view of molecular interactions occurring at the interface.

Effect of surface conditioning with cellular extracts on Escherichia coli adhesion and initial biofilm formation

Bacterial adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation start with surface conditioning by molecules originating from the surrounding medium and from cell lysis. Different cell extracts e.g. total cell extract (TCE), cytoplasm with cellular debris (CCDE) and periplasmic extract (PE) were tested in agitated 96-well microtiter plates and in a flow cell. Crystal violet assay demonstrated that a polystyrene substratum conditioned with TCE or CCDE decreased initial biofilm formation, however cell adhesion generally increased when PE was used. These results were dependent on conditioning film concentration. Using a parallel plate flow chamber, the use of optimal conditioning film concentrations resulted in all the different cellular extracts reducing biofilm formation. Multifractal analysis was used to generate quantitative data on the number of cell clusters. Surface conditioning with cellular components affected the amount and clustering of bacteria on polystyrene surfaces and their propensity to induce biofilm formation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study addressing the effect of cellular surface conditioning of cellular compartments on E. coli adhesion and initial biofilm formation. This work leads to a greater understanding of the factors that influence biofilm formation under flow conditions which are prevalent in food industry. Effect of surface conditioning with cellular extracts on Escherichia coli adhesion and initial biofilm formation (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316143537\_Effect\_of\_surface\_conditioning\_with\_cellular\_extracts\_on\_Escherichia\_coli\_adhesion\_and\_initial\_biofilm\_formation [accessed Apr 20, 2017].

Study of the Adhesion of Clinical Strains of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> on an Abiotic Surface Using the Biofilm Ring Test&#174

Journal of Biomaterials and Nanobiotechnology, 2012

Four methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) and 4 methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains of Staphylococcus aureus were collected and isolated at the Laboratory of Bacteriology of the Provincial General Reference Hospital of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The microbial adhesion to solvents (MATS) test showed that the MRSA strains had a less hydrophobic membrane than the MSSA strains. Using the Biofilm Ring Test ® (BFRT ®) to investigate on the adhesion of these bacterial strains to smooth surfaces, we observed that the MSSA strains adhered more rapidly than the MRSA strains. The biomass of the produced biofilm measured by the Crystal violet staining method (CVSM) was more important with MSSA than with MRSA strains. Ethylene glycol-bis(2-aminoethylether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) inhibited the adhesion and the formation of a biofilm by MRSA strains; this inhibition was reversed by calcium, magnesium and manganese. The MRSA strains adhered less to silicon tubing and the adhesion was inhibited by EGTA in 2 of the 4 MRSA strains and none of the MSSA strains. In conclusion, the MSSA and MRSA strains adhered on an abiotic surface and formed a biofilm at distinct rates and with different sensitivities to ions. The results also confirm the utility as well as the limits of the BFRT ® to study the adhesion of bacteria on a surface.

Biofilm formation by Escherichia coli is stimulated by synergistic interactions and co-adhesion mechanisms with adherence-proficient bacteria

Research in Microbiology, 2006

Laboratory strains of Escherichia coli do not show significant ability to attach to solid surfaces and to form biofilms. We compared the adhesion properties of the E. coli PHL565 laboratory strain to eight environmental E. coli isolates: only four isolates displayed adhesion properties to glass significantly higher than PHL565. The ability of the adhesion-proficient isolates to attach to glass tubes strongly correlated with their ability to express curli (thin aggregative fimbriae), thus suggesting that curli are a common adhesion determinant in environmental strains. Despite its inability to attach to solid surfaces, growth of E. coli PHL565 in mixed cultures with Pseudomonas putida MT2 resulted in co-adhesion and in formation of a mixed E. coli/P. putida biofilm, which was able to colonize glass surfaces with dramatic efficiency compared to P. putida alone. E. coli/P. putida interactions stimulate initial adhesion to glass, and the presence of both bacterial species in the mature biofilm was confirmed by quantitative PCR. In contrast, no synergistic biofilm formation was observed in mixed cultures of E. coli with the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis. Interestingly, E. coli PHL565 also stimulated biofilm formation by bacterial communities isolated from drinking water distribution systems. Our results strongly suggest that co-adhesion and synergistic interaction with biofilm-forming species might represent an important mechanism, and a possible alternative strategy to production of adhesion determinants, for persistence and propagation of E. coli in the environment.