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Review
. 2020 Aug 28;5(36):22684-22690.
doi: 10.1021/acsomega.0c02294. eCollection 2020 Sep 15.

Mechanisms and Control Measures of Mature Biofilm Resistance to Antimicrobial Agents in the Clinical Context

Yuanzhe Li  1 , Peng Xiao  2 , Yilin Wang  3 , Yu Hao  2
Affiliations
Review

Mechanisms and Control Measures of Mature Biofilm Resistance to Antimicrobial Agents in the Clinical Context

Yuanzhe Li et al. ACS Omega. .

Abstract

Biofilms are the aggregation of micro-organisms, which are composed of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and many other biochemical components. Though they might be beneficial to some wastewater and soil treatment processes, they may expose chronic infection and risk to personal hygiene in the industrial as well as the clinical context. Despite having a well-established disinfection and hygiene monitoring program for the prevention of formation and growth, biofilm persistently remains in the medical settings because of its antibiotic resistance to antimicrobial agents and even the immune system. In this paper, the contributing factors of antibiotic resistance and the corresponding mechanisms, including heterogeneity inside biofilms, the roles of the EPS matrix, cell density, and quorum sensing, and cell mutability, are reviewed. Moreover, current clinical practice and strategic applications are also suggested to address the biofilm resistance issues.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of biofilm formation on a medical context surface.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of antibiotic resistance of bacterial biofilms.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Strategies for biofilm resistance control in a clinical context.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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