Current Knowledge and Perspectives on Biofilm Formation and Remediation

ABSTRACT Various bacterial pathogens display an intracellular lifestyle and spread from cell to cell through actin-based motility (ABM). ABM requires actin polymerization at the bacterial pole and is mediated by the expression of bacterial factors that hijack the host cell actin nucleation machinery or exhibit intrinsic actin nucleation properties. It is increasingly recognized that bacterial ABM factors, in addition to having a crucial task during the intracellular phase of infection, display “moonlighting” adhesin functions, such as bacterial aggregation, biofilm formation, and host cell adhesion/invasion. Here, we review our current knowledge of ABM factors and their additional functions, and we propose that intracellular ABM functions have evolved from ancestral, extracellular adhesin functions.

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Revisiting Bap Multidomain Protein: More Than Sticking Bacteria Together

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2020.613581 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Jaione Valle ◽

Xianyang Fang ◽

Iñigo Lasa

Keyword(s):

Biofilm Formation ◽

Core Genome ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Surface Proteins ◽

Structure And Properties ◽

Diverse Range ◽

The Core ◽

Self Assembling ◽

Abiotic Surfaces ◽

Range Of Functions

One of the major components of the staphylococcal biofilm is surface proteins that assemble as scaffold components of the biofilm matrix. Among the different surface proteins able to contribute to biofilm formation, this review is dedicated to the Biofilm Associated Protein (Bap). Bap is part of the accessory genome of Staphylococcus aureus but orthologs of Bap in other staphylococcal species belong to the core genome. When present, Bap promotes adhesion to abiotic surfaces and induces strong intercellular adhesion by self-assembling into amyloid like aggregates in response to the levels of calcium and the pH in the environment. During infection, Bap enhances the adhesion to epithelial cells where it binds directly to the host receptor Gp96 and inhibits the entry of the bacteria into the cells. To perform such diverse range of functions, Bap comprises several domains, and some of them include several motifs associated to distinct functions. Based on the knowledge accumulated with the Bap protein of S. aureus, this review aims to summarize the current knowledge of the structure and properties of each domain of Bap and their contribution to Bap functionality.

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Biofilms in Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Significance and Clinical Relevance

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms8101580 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (10) ◽

pp. 1580

Author(s):

Cassandra Pouget ◽

Catherine Dunyach-Remy ◽

Alix Pantel ◽

Sophie Schuldiner ◽

Albert Sotto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetic Foot ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Chronic Infection ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Limb Amputation ◽

Foot Ulcers ◽

Main Role ◽

Diabetic Foot Ulcers ◽

Patients With Diabetes

Foot infections are the main disabling complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. These infections can lead to lower-limb amputation, increasing mortality and decreasing the quality of life. Biofilm formation is an important pathophysiology step in diabetic foot ulcers (DFU)—it plays a main role in the disease progression and chronicity of the lesion, the development of antibiotic resistance, and makes wound healing difficult to treat. The main problem is the difficulty in distinguishing between infection and colonization in DFU. The bacteria present in DFU are organized into functionally equivalent pathogroups that allow for close interactions between the bacteria within the biofilm. Consequently, some bacterial species that alone would be considered non-pathogenic, or incapable of maintaining a chronic infection, could co-aggregate symbiotically in a pathogenic biofilm and act synergistically to cause a chronic infection. In this review, we discuss current knowledge on biofilm formation, its presence in DFU, how the diabetic environment affects biofilm formation and its regulation, and the clinical implications.

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Effect of Human Milk and its Components on Streptococcus Mutans Biofilm Formation

Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry ◽

10.17796/1053-4628-39.3.255 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 255-261 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

LM Allison ◽

LA Walker ◽

BJ Sanders ◽

Z Yang ◽

G Eckert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Streptococcus Mutans ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Post Partum ◽

Human Breast Milk ◽

Human Breast ◽

Flat Bottom ◽

Biofilm Growth ◽

Microtiter Plates

Objective: This study investigated the effects of human breast milk and its components on the nutritional aspect of the caries process due to Streptococcus mutans UA159 biofilm formation. Study design: Human breast milk was collected from 11 mothers during 3-9 months postpartum. To test for the effect on biofilm formation, a 16-hour culture of S. mutans was treated with dilutions of human breast milk and several major components of human breast milk, lactose, lactoferrin, IgA, and bovine casein in sterile 96-well flat bottom microtiter plates for 24 hours. The biofilms were fixed, washed, stained with crystal violet, and extracted. Absorbance was measured to evaluate biofilm growth mass. Results: Dilutions 1:10-1:2,560 of the human breast milk samples increased biofilm formation by 1.5-3.8 fold compared to the control. Lactoferrin decreased biofilm formation significantly in all dilutions (average milk concentration of 3 mg/ml). Lactose had no effect at average breast milk concentrations (60 mg/ml) except at its lowest concentration (15 mg/ml) where it was increased. IgA significantly decreased biofilm formation at its highest concentration of 2,400 μg/ml (average milk concentration 600 μg/ml). Casein caused significantly increased biofilm formation at all concentrations tested above the average milk content (2.3 mg/ml). Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate an increase in S. mutans biofilm formation by human breast milk 3-9 months post partum. Among its major components, only casein significantly increased biofilm formation among the concentrations analyzed. Lactose had no effect except at 15 mg/ml. Lactoferrin and IgA significantly decreased S. mutans biofilm formation at their highest concentrations. This information expands the current knowledge regarding the nutritional influence of breastfeeding and validates the necessity to begin an oral hygiene regimen once the first tooth erupts.

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Challenges in the Microbiological Diagnosis of Implant-Associated Infections: A Summary of the Current Knowledge

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2021.750460 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Alessandra Oliva ◽

Maria Claudia Miele ◽

Dania Al Ismail ◽

Federica Di Timoteo ◽

Massimiliano De Angelis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biofilm Formation ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Significant Advance ◽

Microbiological Diagnosis ◽

Implant Surface ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Causative Agents ◽

Live Bacteria ◽

Sonication Technique ◽

Culture Negative

Implant-associated infections are characterized by microbial biofilm formation on implant surface, which renders the microbiological diagnosis challenging and requires, in the majority of cases, a complete device removal along with a prolonged antimicrobial therapy. Traditional cultures have shown unsatisfactory sensitivity and a significant advance in the field has been represented by both the application of the sonication technique for the detachment of live bacteria from biofilm and the implementation of metabolic and molecular assays. However, despite the recent progresses in the microbiological diagnosis have considerably reduced the rate of culture-negative infections, still their reported incidence is not negligible. Overall, several culture- and non-culture based methods have been developed for diagnosis optimization, which mostly relies on pre-operative and intra-operative (i.e., removed implants and surrounding tissues) samples. This review outlines the principal culture- and non-culture based methods for the diagnosis of the causative agents of implant-associated infections and gives an overview on their application in the clinical practice. Furthermore, advantages and disadvantages of each method are described.

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Lattice Boltzmann Method in Modeling Biofilm Formation, Growth and Detachment

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13147968 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (14) ◽

pp. 7968

Author(s):

Mojtaba Aghajani Delavar ◽

Junye Wang

Keyword(s):

Lattice Boltzmann Method ◽

Lattice Boltzmann ◽

Microbial Fuel Cells ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Metal Removal ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Heavy Metal Removal ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Future Research ◽

Boltzmann Method

Biofilms are a complex and heterogeneous aggregation of multiple populations of microorganisms linked together by their excretion of extracellular polymer substances (EPS). Biofilms can cause many serious problems, such as chronic infections, food contamination and equipment corrosion, although they can be useful for constructive purposes, such as in wastewater treatment, heavy metal removal from hazardous waste sites, biofuel production, power generation through microbial fuel cells and microbially enhanced oil recovery; however, biofilm formation and growth are complex due to interactions among physicochemical and biological processes under operational and environmental conditions. Advanced numerical modeling techniques using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) are enabling the prediction of biofilm formation and growth and microbial community structures. This study is the first attempt to perform a general review on major contributions to LBM-based biofilm models, ranging from pioneering efforts to more recent progress. We present our understanding of the modeling of biofilm formation, growth and detachment using LBM-based models and present the fundamental aspects of various LBM-based biofilm models. We describe how the LBM couples with cellular automata (CA) and individual-based model (IbM) approaches and discuss their applications in assessing the spatiotemporal distribution of biofilms and their associated parameters and evaluating bioconversion efficiency. Finally, we discuss the main features and drawbacks of LBM-based biofilm models from ecological and biotechnological perspectives and identify current knowledge gaps and future research priorities.

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What Is in a Cat Scratch? Growth of Bartonella henselae in a Biofilm

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9040835 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 835

Author(s):

Udoka Okaro ◽

Sierra George ◽

Burt Anderson

Keyword(s):

Biofilm Formation ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Bartonella Henselae ◽

Biological Significance ◽

Mammalian Host ◽

Cat Scratch Disease ◽

Cat Flea ◽

Clinical Presentations

Bartonella henselae (B. henselae) is a gram-negative bacterium that causes cat scratch disease, bacteremia, and endocarditis, as well as other clinical presentations. B. henselae has been shown to form a biofilm in vitro that likely plays a role in the establishment and persistence of the bacterium in the host. Biofilms are also known to form in the cat flea vector; hence, the ability of this bacterium to form a biofilm has broad biological significance. The release of B. henselae from a biofilm niche appears to be important in disease persistence and relapse in the vertebrate host but also in transmission by the cat flea vector. It has been shown that the BadA adhesin of B. henselae is critical for adherence and biofilm formation. Thus, the upregulation of badA is important in initiating biofilm formation, and down-regulation is important in the release of the bacterium from the biofilm. We summarize the current knowledge of biofilm formation in Bartonella species and the role of BadA in biofilm formation. We discuss the evidence that defines possible mechanisms for the regulation of the genes required for biofilm formation. We further describe the regulation of those genes in the conditions that mimic both the arthropod vector and the mammalian host for B. henselae. The treatment for persistent B. henselae infection remains a challenge; hence, a better understanding of the mechanisms by which this bacterium persists in its host is critical to inform future efforts to develop drugs to treat such infections.

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Interrelationship between Periodontitis and Cardiovascular Diseases

International Journal of Experimental Dental Science ◽

10.5005/jp-journals-10029-1051 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 110-117

Author(s):

Pimpimol Yooprasert ◽

Monchai Siribamrungwong

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cardiovascular Diseases ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Bacterial Biofilm ◽

Tooth Surface ◽

Chronic Inflammatory Response ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Increase Risk ◽

Traditional Risk Factors

ABSTRACT Cardiovascular disease (CVD) contributes to a large number of morbidities and mortalities globally. The main cause is due to development of atherosclerosis. Many risk factors have been identified and are treated to improve the disease outcome. Besides traditional risk factors (such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus and smoking), systemic inflammatory process was found to increase risk of cardiovascular events, as inflammation promotes atherosclerosis. Periodontal disease is a chronic disease of tooth-supporting structure, reported to have a high prevalence worldwide. The earliest step of the disease is bacterial biofilm formation on tooth surface which subsequently triggers host inflammation, both locally and systemically. With chronic inflammatory response, periodontitis can enhance atherosclerosis, and is considered a potential contributive factor for development of CVD. The purpose of this review is to provide information on periodontitis, CVD, an association between these two conditions and current knowledge on the effect of periodontal treatment on improving cardiovascular outcome. How to cite this article Yooprasert P, Siribamrungwong M. Interrelationship between Periodontitis and Cardiovascular Diseases. J Experiment Dent Sci 2013;2(2):110-117.

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BIOFILMS OF PATHOGENIC BURKHOLDERIA AND THEIR ROLE IN RESISTANCE TO ANTIBIOTICS

Journal of microbiology epidemiology immunobiology ◽

10.36233/0372-9311-2018-1-101-111 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 101-111

Author(s):

E. V. Shubnikova ◽

L. K. Merinova ◽

T. V. Senina ◽

E. V. Korol ◽

O. A. Merinova

Keyword(s):

Biofilm Formation ◽

Burkholderia Pseudomallei ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Structural Elements ◽

Signal Transduction System ◽

Resistance To Antibiotics ◽

Type Iv ◽

Two Component Signal Transduction ◽

Factor C ◽

Adhesin Proteins

The review contains the current knowledge on the main issues of Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei biofilm formation. The role ofknown structural elements of Burkholderia cells (flagella, type IV pili, LPS), as well as autotransporter adhesin proteins in the attachment of bacteria to surfaces, the formation of microcolonies and biofilm is described. The review also includes information of genetic regulatory mechanisms (QS-systems, RpoE-sigma factor, c-di-GMP, two-component signal transduction system), differentially expressed genes related to the formation of B. pseudomallei biofilm, role ofbiofilms in the virulence and resistance to antibiotics of pathogenic Burkholderia and their significance for the chronic processes and recurrent course of melioidosis and glanders.

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Biofilm formation in total hip arthroplasty: prevention and treatment

RSC Advances ◽

10.1039/c6ra09583f ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (83) ◽

pp. 80244-80261 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Elena García-Gareta ◽

Christopher Davidson ◽

Alexandra Levin ◽

Melanie J. Coathup ◽

Gordon W. Blunn

Keyword(s):

Total Hip Arthroplasty ◽

Hip Arthroplasty ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Orthopaedic Implants ◽

Total Hip ◽

Prevention And Treatment ◽

Prevention Of Infections

This review assesses the current knowledge on treatments, pathogenesis and the prevention of infections associated with orthopaedic implants, with a focus on total hip arthroplasty.

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