The application of biofilm science to the study and control of chronic bacterial infections

Costerton, William; Veeh, Richard Harold; Shirtliff, Mark E.; Pasmore, Mark; Post, Chris W.; Ehrlich, Garth D.

doi:10.1172/jci200320365

Cited by 624 publications

(498 citation statements)

References 48 publications

(13 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

478

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Bacterial biofilms are responsible for the resistance to most antimicrobial treatments in a high number of patients with device-related and other chronic infections, such as otitis media, cholesteatoma, tonsillitis, cystic fibrosis, and prostatitis [21]. Biofilm formation in TCCs begins soon after TCC placement [16] and is the major source of CRB.…”

Section: The Role Of the Biofilmmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, with the application of modern molecular diagnostics, it was demonstrated unequivocally that bacteria are present in biofilms and are also metabolically active [21]. This might explain why a previous history of CRB remains the most important risk factor for bacteremia.…”

Section: The Role Of the Biofilmmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although antibiotics can kill circulating planktonic microorganisms and treat CRBs, they cannot kill the biofilm pathogens that constitute the source of recurrent infections. Therefore, all efforts should be made to prevent biofilm formation [21]. The purpose of utilizing an intraluminal antimicrobial lock solution (AML) is to either prevent seeding or promote eradication of the microorganisms that colonize the catheter.…”

Section: Time For Preventing Recurrence Of Catheter-related Bacteremiamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Prevention of catheter-related bacteremia in children on hemodialysis: time for action

Stefanidis

2009

Pediatr Nephrol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This editorial commentary discusses the strategies for prevention of catheter-related bacteremia (CRB) in children on hemodialysis, which is associated with high morbidity and the increase of hospital cost. There is evidence that the use of arteriovenous fistulae in children on hemodialysis is associated with lower infection rates. Therefore, the use of catheters in these patients should be decreased by improving arteriovenous fistulae use rates or by increasing peritoneal dialysis patient recruitment. However, despite the wide adoption of such policies, hemodialysis catheters are still being used in a significant number of cases. For these patients, implementation of effective strategies for preventing contamination of the catheter hub should be a priority. The appropriate recording and evaluation of CRB rates are important for assessing preventive policies. In addition, the successful management of a CRB is essential for preventing recurrence of bacteremia. Recently it was documented in a number of randomized clinical trials that antimicrobial lock solutions were effective for preventing CRB. It is suggested that the use of antimicrobial locks should be considered in children who are at high risk of developing CRB, with caution for their long-term use, because of the possibility of bacterial resistance. Now is the time for action, and all preventive steps should be performed simultaneously to minimize the risk of CRB.

show abstract

Section: The Role Of the Biofilmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Role Of the Biofilmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Time For Preventing Recurrence Of Catheter-related Bacteremiamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Prevention of catheter-related bacteremia in children on hemodialysis: time for action

Stefanidis

2009

Pediatr Nephrol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Understanding selective pressures on cooperation is therefore likely to require consideration of multiple traits simultaneously. We investigated two clinically relevant cooperative traits: production of ironscavenging siderophores (Griffin et al, 2004;Harrison et al, 2006) and biofilm formation (Costerton et al, 2003;Brockhurst et al, 2006;Moreau-Marquis et al, 2008). Both can be exploited by 'cheats': cells that cease producing costly public goods (siderophores or biofilm matrix polymers) but benefit from the efforts of their neighbours.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Siderophore production and biofilm formation as linked social traits

Harrison

Buckling

2009

The ISME Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The virulence of pathogenic microbes can depend on individual cells cooperating in the concerted production of molecules that facilitate host colonization or exploitation. However, cooperating groups can be exploited by social defectors or ‘cheats’. Understanding the ecology and evolution of cooperation is therefore relevant to clinical microbiology. We studied two genetically linked cooperative traits involved in host exploitation by the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Clones that defected from cooperative production of iron-scavenging siderophores were deficient in biofilm formation. The presence of such clones in mixed biofilms with a wild-type clone led to reduced biofilm mass. The fitness advantage of siderophore-deficient mutants in the presence of wild-type bacteria was no greater in biofilm than in planktonic culture, suggesting that these mutants did not gain an additional advantage by exploiting wild-type biofilm polymer. Reduced biofilm formation therefore represents a pleiotropic cost of defection from siderophore production.

show abstract

“…Bacteria harboured within biofilms are notoriously recalcitrant to antimicrobial agents (Millward & Wilson, 1989;Anwar et al, 1990;Costerton et al, 2003) and their eradication represents a formidable challenge where they are associated with disease. The mechanisms by which biofilms resist conventional antimicrobial agents are generally considered to be multi-factorial, although current understanding is that the production of high numbers of essentially invulnerable persister cells, in response to shock proteins or "alarmones", is the most significant of these factors (Gilbert et al, 2002b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Susceptibility of microcosm subgingival dental plaques to lethal photosensitization

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A B S T R A C TPhotodynamic therapy (PDT) offers potential as a non-invasive treatment of periodontal disease. In this study, microcosm biofilms were grown in vitro under conditions designed to mimic subgingival plaques typically found in patients with periodontitis. To investigate potential PDT modalities, biofilms were exposed to light from a helium/neon laser in conjunction with a photosensitizer, toluidine blue O (TBO), at varying output and concentration, respectively. To determine cytotoxic effects, viability profiling was undertaken on whole biofilms using standard plating methods, and on horizontal cross-sections of biofilms using confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM) in conjunction with a differential viability stain. A light energy dose of 94.5 J in combination with 81.7 µM TBO was found to be optimal, achieving significant kills of over 97%. CLSM enabled visualization of the effects of PDT in three dimensions. Viability profiling of the CLSM images revealed that lethal photosensitization was most effective in the upper layers of biofilm. PDT was found to reduce the viability of subgingivally modelled plaques in vitro by a magnitude similar to that of chlorhexidine digluconate, which is commonly used to treat periodontal disease. The findings of this study indicate that PDT may be an effective alternative to conventional modalities in the treatment of periodontal disease.

show abstract

The application of biofilm science to the study and control of chronic bacterial infections

Cited by 624 publications

References 48 publications

Prevention of catheter-related bacteremia in children on hemodialysis: time for action

Prevention of catheter-related bacteremia in children on hemodialysis: time for action

Siderophore production and biofilm formation as linked social traits

Susceptibility of microcosm subgingival dental plaques to lethal photosensitization

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About