Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms and their Impact on the Medical Field

Abstract

Despite the discovery of antibiotics, the battle against bacteria is so far in their favor, specifically because bugs are able to develop a superstructure named biofilm, to resist and to survive in the environment. Nosocomial infections, a major health problem, are due at 80% to biofilm-associated infection, and Staphylococcus aureus is the leading bacteria species in this domain. Moreover, the antimicrobial resistance of this bacterial community is accentuated when it is formed by superbugs such as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). In this chapter, the mechanism and the physiology of S. aureus biofilm as well as their consequences in the clinical domains are described. To complete the vision on S. aureus biofilms, some "anti-biofilm" strategies will be highlighted.

Glabridin Averts Biofilms Formation in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus by Modulation of the Surfaceome

“…Microorganisms including several pathogenic bacteria produce biofilms as a survival strategy under harsh environments and biofilm embedded bacteria are often a challenge to treat using drugs. Various reports correlate drug resistance with the biofilm formation ability of S. aureus and other microorganisms (Awoke et al, 2019;Reffuveille et al, 2017;Sharma et al, 2019). To date, several environmental factors such as glucose, salt (NaCl), ethanol, high temperature, antibiotics stress, and low oxygen have been described to support biofilm formation in S. aureus (Jefferson, 2004;Fitzpatrick et al, 2005).…”

Antibiotic Tolerance of Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm in Periprosthetic Joint Infections and Antibiofilm Strategies

“…Even if the biofilm definition evolves, the biofilm life cycle has been well known for many years. It starts with the adhesion of bacteria to a surface in response to external stimuli or stress [ 3 ]. In the case of the Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) adhesion to biomaterials ( Figure 1 ), this attachment can be passive or active.…”

“…When bacteria are finally irreversibly anchored to a surface, the maturation of biofilm can occur through the bacterial production of a matrix, which is mainly composed of water, exopolysaccharides, proteins, and extracellular DNA. A matrix allows bacteria to proliferate in an organized and structured community [ 3 ]. Moreover, the matrix protects embedded bacteria from immune cell attacks, mediates further bacterial adhesion, provides mechanical stability, and retains essential nutrients and enzymes [ 7 ].…”

“…When the biofilm is mature enough, the release and dispersion of bacteria entrapped in the biofilm structure can eventually occur under specific conditions, such as a decrease in stress factors. Newly free bacteria are thereby able to colonize new surfaces to find new nutrients in, for example, the hematogenous way [ 3 ]. The bacterial communication mode called quorum sensing is particularly important to achieve this step.…”

“…The most known quorum-sensing system in S. aureus is the Agr (accessory gene regulator) program. Its regulation is based on cell density according to the state of the biofilm, and can control the secretion of cell surface proteins, surface adhesins, or virulence factors, and thereby is involved in both biofilm maturation and dispersion through bacterial egress [ 3 ].…”