Medical Implications of Biofilms

Human tissues often support large, complex microbial communities growing as biofilms that can cause a variety of infections. As a result of an increased use of implanted medical devices, the incidence of these biofilm-associated diseases is increasing: the non-shedding surfaces of these devices provide ideal substrata for colonisation by biofilm-forming microbes. The consequences of this mode of growth are far-reaching. As microbes in biofilms exhibit increased tolerance towards antimicrobial agents and decreased susceptibility to host defence systems, biofilm-associated diseases are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. Not surprisingly, therefore, interest in biofilms has increased dramatically. The application of microscopic and molecular techniques has revolutionised our understanding of biofilm structure, composition, organisation, and activities, resulting in important advances in the prevention and treatment of biofilm-related diseases. The purpose of this book, which was first published in 2003, is to bring these advances to the attention of clinicians and medical researchers.

Part I. Introductory Chapters: 1. Biofilm-dependent regulation of gene expression P. LeJeune; 2. Quorum sensing and microbial biofilms T. R. de Kievit; 3. Antimicrobial agents and biofilms M. R. Brown; Part II. Biofilms on Prosthetic Devices: 4. Animal models of orthopaedic implant infection Y. H. An; 5. Intravascular-catheter-related infections H. A. Hanna; 6. Molecular basis of biofilm formation by staphylococcus epidermidis C. Heilmann; 7. Biofilm complications of urinary tract devices S. P. Gorman; Part III. Oral Biofilms: 8. Novel microscopic methods to study the structure and metabolism of oral biofilms D. Bradshaw; 9. Oral streptococcal genes that encode biofilm formation C. Y. Loo; 10. Gene expression in oral biofilms R. A. Burne; Part IV. Biofilms on Shedding Surfaces: 11. Dissection of the genetic pathway leading to multicellular behaviour in salmonella enterica serotype typhimurium and other enterobacteriaceae U. Romling; 12. Bacterial growth on mucosal surfaces and biofilms in the large bowel G. T. Macfarlane; 13. Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in lung infections K. K. Jefferson.

As biofilms exhibit increased tolerance towards anti-microbial agents and decreased susceptibility to host defence systems, biofilm-associated diseases have become difficult to treat. This 2003 book presents advances in the application of microscopic and molecular techniques to clinicians and medical researchers.