Mechanisms of Biofilm Formation in Clinically Used Biomaterials
John-Jairo Aguilera-Correa, Jaime Esteban and David Romera-García
from: Microbial Biofilms: Current Research and Practical Implications (Edited by: Arindam Mitra). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2020) Pages: 135-194.
Abstract
Medical-device infections are associated with high morbidity and exhibits robustness typically due to formation of biofilms on the device surface and surrounding tissues. Biofilms are complex communities composed of microorganisms embedded in secreted polysaccharide matrix which commonly display high resistance against the host immune system and antimicrobial therapy and can lead to a systemic infection or device failure leading to high costs in the healthcare. Frequently isolated agents in medical devices include bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fungi represented mainly by Candida. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the current types of clinically used biomaterials, explore the major strategies and mechanisms developed by microorganisms to colonize devices, initial forces that are responsible for the interaction among the membranes of the microorganisms and the biomaterial surface and conditioning layer and regulatory systems that govern biofilm dispersal, expression of virulence factors and immune response evasion read more ...
