Topic
Biofilm
About: Biofilm is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 23010 publications have been published within this topic receiving 906812 citations. The topic is also known as: biofilms.
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TL;DR: The results of this study demonstrate that the unique environment of the cystic fibrosis (CF) lung seems to select for a subgroup of autoaggregative and hyperpiliated P. aeruginosa small-colony variants (SCVs), which showed increased fitness under stationary growth conditions in comparison with clonal wild-types and fast-growing revertants isolated from the SCV population in vitro.
Abstract: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic human pathogen and ubiquitous environmental bacterium, is capable of forming specialized bacterial communities, referred to as biofilm. The results of this study demonstrate that the unique environment of the cystic fibrosis (CF) lung seems to select for a subgroup of autoaggregative and hyperpiliated P. aeruginosa small-colony variants (SCVs). These morphotypes showed increased fitness under stationary growth conditions in comparison with clonal wild-types and fast-growing revertants isolated from the SCV population in vitro. In accordance with the SCVs being hyperpiliated, they exhibited increased twitching motility and capacity for biofilm formation. In addition, the SCVs attached strongly to the pneumocytic cell line A549. The emergence of these highly adherent SCVs within the CF lung might play a key role in the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa lung infection, where a biofilm mode of growth is thought to be responsible for persistent infection.
216 citations
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216 citations
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TL;DR: It becomes clear that targeting and destroying eDNA in bacterial EPS is a promising strategy for treatment of bacterial-associated infections in a medical context and biofilm control on surfaces to prevent biocorrison in an engineering context.
Abstract: Bacteria adhere to natural and engineered surfaces and develop into mature biofilms encased in self-produced extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs). EPS consists of polysaccharides, proteins, metabolites and extracellular DNA (eDNA). Extracellular DNA release by bacteria is mediated by both quorum-sensing (QS)-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Quorum-sensing-independent mechanisms are responsible for basal levels of eDNA release, whereas QS-dependent mechanisms control the production of prophages, phenazines and proteins involved in cell lysis and subsequent release of elevated amounts of eDNA. Extracellular DNA binds with other biopolymers such as polysaccharides, proteins or metabolites like phenazines, thereby providing structural integrity to EPS. Extracellular DNA promotes attractive acid-base interactions between bacterial cells and between bacteria and surfaces. It therefore plays an essential structural role in stabilising biofilms and protecting bacterial cells from physical and chemical challenges. Accordingly, with current knowledge, it becomes clear that targeting and destroying eDNA in bacterial EPS is a promising strategy for treatment of bacterial-associated infections in a medical context and biofilm control on surfaces to prevent biocorrison in an engineering context. In contrast, the addition of DNA can be applied to engineering of biofilms for beneficial purposes such as remediation of environmental pollutants and electricity or fuel production in bioelectrochemical systems or bioreactors.
215 citations
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TL;DR: The structure and function of synthetic polymeric materials can be damaged by biofilms in various ways, among these: (1) by coating the surface, masking surface properties and contaminating adjacent media such as water by released microorganisms; (2) by increasing the leaching of additives and monomers out of the polymer matrix by microbial degradation; (3) by attack by enzymes or radicals of biological origin to polymer and additives; leading to both embrittlement and loss of mechanical stability; (4) by accumulating water and penetrating the polymeric matrix with microbial filaments
215 citations
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TL;DR: Physico-chemistry is not only involved in initial bacterial adhesion to surfaces but also in what is proposed to call "surface-programmed" biofilm growth, pivotal for the development of new strategies to control biofilm formation on substratum surfaces, that have hitherto been largely confined to the initialacterial adhesion phenomena.
215 citations