Biofilm matrix

About: Biofilm matrix is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1589 publications have been published within this topic receiving 110140 citations.

The zoonotic pathogen Leptospira interrogans mitigates environmental stress through cyclic-di-GMP-controlled biofilm production

Abstract: The zoonotic bacterium Leptospira interrogans is the aetiological agent of leptospirosis, a re-emerging infectious disease that is a growing public health concern. Most human cases of leptospirosis result from environmental infection. Biofilm formation and its contribution to the persistence of virulent leptospires in the environment or in the host have scarcely been addressed. Here, we examined spatial and time-domain changes in biofilm production by L. interrogans. Our observations showed that biofilm formation in L. interrogans is a highly dynamic process and leads to a polarized architecture. We notably found that the biofilm matrix is composed of extracellular DNA, which enhances the biofilm's cohesiveness. By studying L. interrogans mutants with defective diguanylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase genes, we show that biofilm production is regulated by intracellular levels of bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) and underpins the bacterium's ability to withstand a wide variety of simulated environmental stresses. Our present results show how the c-di-GMP pathway regulates biofilm formation by L. interrogans, provide insights into the environmental persistence of L. interrogans and, more generally, highlight leptospirosis as an environment-borne threat to human health.

Modulating bacterial and gut mucosal interactions with engineered biofilm matrix proteins.

Abstract: Extracellular appendages play a significant role in mediating communication between bacteria and their host. Curli fibers are a class of bacterial fimbria that is highly amenable to engineering. We demonstrate the use of engineered curli fibers to rationally program interactions between bacteria and components of the mucosal epithelium. Commensal E. coli strains were engineered to produce recombinant curli fibers fused to the trefoil family of human cytokines. Biofilms formed from these strains bound more mucins than those producing wild-type curli fibers, and modulated mucin rheology as well. When treated with bacteria producing the curli-trefoil fusions mammalian cells behaved identically in terms of their migration behavior as when they were treated with the corresponding soluble trefoil factors. Overall, this demonstrates the potential utility of curli fibers as a scaffold for the display of bioactive domains and an untapped approach to rationally modulating host-microbe interactions using bacterial matrix proteins.

Carboxylate Functional Groups Mediate Interaction with Silver Nanoparticles in Biofilm Matrix

Abstract: Biofilms causing medical conditions or interfering with technical applications can prove undesirably resistant to silver nanoparticle (AgNP)-based antimicrobial treatment, whereas beneficial biofilms may be adversely affected by the released silver nanoparticles. Isolated biofilm matrices can induce reduction of silver ions and stabilization of the formed nanosilver, thus altering the exposure conditions. We thus study the reduction of silver nitrate solution in model experiments under chemically defined conditions as well as in stream biofilms. Formed silver nanoparticles are characterized by state-of-the art methods. We find that isolated biopolymer fractions of biofilm organic matrix are capable of reducing ionic Ag, whereas other isolated fractions are not, meaning that biopolymer fractions contain both reducing agent and nucleation seed sites. In all of the investigated systems, we find that silver nanoparticle–biopolymer interface is dominated by carboxylate functional groups. This suggests that the...

Early application of negative pressure wound therapy to acute wounds contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus : An effective approach to preventing biofilm formation.

Abstract: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been demonstrated to be effective at preventing biofilm-associated infections; however, its role in biofilm prevention is unknown. The present study evaluated the effect of NPWT on biofilm prevention when rapidly initiated following wound contamination. Full-thickness dermal wounds (8 mm) were created in rabbit ears and inoculated with green fluorescent protein-labeled Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). At 6 h following inoculation, continuous NPWT at -125 mmHg was initiated, with the wounds on the contralateral ear left untreated in order to serve as self-controls. S. aureus rapidly formed mature biofilms in the wound beds post-inoculation, with a persistent bacterial burden of ~105-107 colony-forming units (CFUs)/wound and impaired wound healing. Compared with the untreated group, NPWT resulted in a significant reduction in biofilm matrix, which was verified by scanning electron microscopy and epifluorescence. A reduction in bacterial counts followed (P<0.05) with ~103 CFUs/wound on postoperative day 13 and improvement in all healing parameters (P<0.05) relative to control wounds. The results of the present investigation suggest that NPWT is an effective strategy to impeding the formation of S. aureus wound biofilms when initiated rapidly following bacterial contamination. The early application of NPWT, aimed at biofilm prevention, may improve wound care.