Antimicrobial Biosurfactants Towards the Inhibition of Biofilm Formation

Abstract

Nowadays, infections associated with urinary tract medical devices, have become a common health issue. The fact that their surfaces are prone to microbial colonization and biofilm formation is certainly a problem. As a result, these medical devices usage can be a source of extreme concern, especially for critically ill patients. Urinary tract related infections are among the most frequent HAIs comprising 27% in Europe and 36–40% in the USA. Among multiple strategies to fight those infections, biosurfactants as glycolipids can be a valuable tool for biofilm inhibition or disruption. In particularly, multiple in vitro studies concerning sophorolipids and rhamnolipids confirms the antimicrobial activity of those compounds. Further, sophorolipids or rhamnolipids potential role to prevent biofilm associated infections, using different surfaces like medical grade silicone as an example of common material used in catheters and stents fabrication, shows the capacity of those biosurfactants in reducing the adhesion and biofilm formation. Overall, sophorolipids and rhamnolipids due to their multiple antimicrobial/anti-adhesive effects might be an interesting approach to fight urinary tract medical devices associated infections.