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Journal ArticleDOI

Evolving concepts in biofilm infections

Luanne Hall-Stoodley, +1 more
- 01 Jul 2009 - 
- Vol. 11, Iss: 7, pp 1034-1043
TLDR
Several pathogens associated with chronic infections, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis pneumonia, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae in chronic otitis media, and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in recurrent urinary tract infections, are linked to biofilm formation.
Abstract
Several pathogens associated with chronic infections, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis pneumonia, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae in chronic otitis media, Staphylococcus aureus in chronic rhinosinusitis and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in recurrent urinary tract infections, are linked to biofilm formation. Biofilms are usually defined as surface-associated microbial communities, surrounded by an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix. Biofilm formation has been demonstrated for numerous pathogens and is clearly an important microbial survival strategy. However, outside of dental plaques, fewer reports have investigated biofilm development in clinical samples. Typically biofilms are found in chronic diseases that resist host immune responses and antibiotic treatment and these characteristics are often cited for the ability of bacteria to persist in vivo. This review examines some recent attempts to examine the biofilm phenotype in vivo and discusses the challenges and implications for defining a biofilm phenotype

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI

1,4-Naphthoquinone disintegrates the pre-existing biofilm of Staphylococcus aureus by accumulating reactive oxygen species

TL;DR: In this paper, the disintegration of pre-existing biofilm could be attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the authors observed that extracellular DNA plays an important role in holding the biofilm network.
Journal ArticleDOI

Otitis media: an ongoing microbial challenge

TL;DR: Young Australian Indigenous children in remote Northern Territory communities suffer excessively high rates of otitis media and remain at high risk of suppurative complications with poor audiological and educational sequelae.

Biofilm formation by Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from paediatric patients

TL;DR: Tapiainen et al. as discussed by the authors tested whether the ability of pneumococcal clinical isolates to form biofilm in vitro accounts for the diverse clinical outcomes using optical density (OD) values in microtitre plates after crystal violet staining.
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Atomic-scale interactions between quorum sensing autoinducer molecules and the mucoid P. aeruginosa exopolysaccharide matrix

TL;DR: In this article , a large-scale, calcium cross-linked, multi-chain exopolysaccharide (EPS) molecular model was developed and a combined molecular dynamics (MD) and density functional theory (DFT) approach was used to sample modes of interaction between QSAI molecules and the EPS.
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Low-molecular weight chitosan enhances antibacterial effect of antibiotics and permeabilizes cytoplasmic membrane of Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm cells.

TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of low-molecular weight chitosan on Staphylococcus epidermidis, a common colonizer of joint implants and other prosthetic devices, was evaluated.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

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Neutrophil extracellular traps kill bacteria

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Journal ArticleDOI

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Journal ArticleDOI

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Journal ArticleDOI

Antibiotic resistance of bacteria in biofilms

TL;DR: The features of biofilm infections are summarized, the emerging mechanisms of resistance are reviewed, and potential therapies are discussed.
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