Eradicating biofilm infections: an update on current and prospective approaches

Abstract

Biofilm formation is a multifactorial process and often a multi-species endeavour that involves complex signalling networks, chemical gradients, bacterial adhesion, and production or acquisition of matrix components. Antibiotics remain the main choice when treating bacterial biofilm-associated infections despite their intrinsic tolerance to antimicrobials, and propensity for acquisition and rapid dissemination of antimicrobial resistance within the biofilm. Eliminating hard to treat biofilm-associated infections that are antibiotic resistant will demand a holistic and multi-faceted approach, targeting multiple stages of biofilm formation, many of which are already in development. This mini review will highlight the current approaches that are employed to treat bacterial biofilm infections and discuss new approaches in development that have promise to reach clinical practice.