Abstract
Treatment of medical device-related infections is challenging and recurrence is common. The main reason for this is that microorganisms adhere to the surfaces of medical devices and enter into a biofilm state in which they display distinct growth rates, structural features, and protection from antimicrobial agents and host immune mechanisms compared with their planktonic counterparts. This article reviews how microorganisms form biofilms and the mechanisms of protection against antimicrobial agents and the host immune system provided by biofilms. Also discussed are innovative strategies for the diagnosis of biofilm-associated infection and novel approaches to treatment and prevention of medical device-associated infections.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 915-929 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Infectious Disease Clinics of North America |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2018 |
Keywords
- Biofilm
- Extracellular polymeric substance
- Extracellular polymeric substance targeting therapy
- Medical device-associated infection
- Physical–mechanical approach
- Surface-coating or eluting substrate
- Tolerance
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology (medical)
- Infectious Diseases