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Review
. 2018 Dec 28;4(12):e01067.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e01067. eCollection 2018 Dec.

Bacterial biofilm formation on implantable devices and approaches to its treatment and prevention

Zohra Khatoon  1 , Christopher D McTiernan  1 , Erik J Suuronen  1 , Thien-Fah Mah  2 , Emilio I Alarcon  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Bacterial biofilm formation on implantable devices and approaches to its treatment and prevention

Zohra Khatoon et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

In living organisms, biofilms are defined as complex communities of bacteria residing within an exopolysaccharide matrix that adheres to a surface. In the clinic, they are typically the cause of chronic, nosocomial, and medical device-related infections. Due to the antibiotic-resistant nature of biofilms, the use of antibiotics alone is ineffective for treating biofilm-related infections. In this review, we present a brief overview of concepts of bacterial biofilm formation, and current state-of-the-art therapeutic approaches for preventing and treating biofilms. Also, we have reviewed the prevalence of such infections on medical devices and discussed the future challenges that need to be overcome in order to successfully treat biofilms using the novel technologies being developed.

Keywords: Biomedical engineering; Infectious disease; Microbiology.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic representation for the main stages of biofilm formation on solid surfaces, see text for further details.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Schematic representation of some relevant strategies currently being investigated to overcome the bacterial colonization on implantable devices. The main strategies aimed to address bacterial infection include prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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