Oral Biofilms: Development, Control, and Analysis

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Abstract

The oral cavity harbors hundreds of microbial species that are present either as planktonic cells or incorporated into biofilms. The majority of the oral microbes are commensal organisms. Those that are pathogenic microbes can result in oral infections, and at times can initiate systemic diseases. Biofilms that contain pathogens are challenging to control. Many conventional antimicrobials have proven to be ineffective. Recent advances in science and technology are providing new approaches for pathogen control and containment and methods to characterize biofilms. This perspective provides (1) a general understanding of biofilm development; (2) a description of emerging chemical and biological methods to control oral biofilms; and (3) an overview of high-throughput analytical approaches to analyze biofilms.

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Most cited references 17

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The sociobiology of biofilms.

Carey Nadell, Joao B Xavier, Kevin R. Foster (2009)

Biofilms are densely packed communities of microbial cells that grow on surfaces and surround themselves with secreted polymers. Many bacterial species form biofilms, and their study has revealed them to be complex and diverse. The structural and physiological complexity of biofilms has led to the idea that they are coordinated and cooperative groups, analogous to multicellular organisms. We evaluate this idea by addressing the findings of microbiologists from the perspective of sociobiology, including theories of collective behavior (self-organization) and social evolution. This yields two main conclusions. First, the appearance of organization in biofilms can emerge without active coordination. That is, biofilm properties such as phenotypic differentiation, species stratification and channel formation do not necessarily require that cells communicate with one another using specialized signaling molecules. Second, while local cooperation among bacteria may often occur, the evolution of cooperation among all cells is unlikely for most biofilms. Strong conflict can arise among multiple species and strains in a biofilm, and spontaneous mutation can generate conflict even within biofilms initiated by genetically identical cells. Biofilms will typically result from a balance between competition and cooperation, and we argue that understanding this balance is central to building a complete and predictive model of biofilm formation.

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Dental plaque as a microbial biofilm.

P D Marsh (2015)

New technologies have provided novel insights into how dental plaque functions as a biofilm. Confocal microscopy has confirmed that plaque has an open architecture similar to other biofilms, with channels and voids. Gradients develop in areas of dense biomass over short distances in key parameters that influence microbial growth and distribution. Bacteria exhibit an altered pattern of gene expression either as a direct result of being on a surface or indirectly as a response to the local environmental heterogeneity within the biofilm. Bacteria communicate via small diffusible signalling molecules (e.g. competence-stimulating peptide, CSP; autoinducer 2); CSP induces both genetic competence and acid tolerance in recipient sessile cells. Thus, rates of gene transfer increase in biofilm communities, and this is one of several mechanisms (others include: diffusion-reaction, neutralization/inactivation, slow growth rates, novel phenotype) that contribute to the increased antimicrobial resistance exhibited by bacteria in biofilms. Oral bacteria in plaque do not exist as independent entities but function as a co-ordinated, spatially organized and fully metabolically integrated microbial community, the properties of which are greater than the sum of the component species. A greater understanding of the significance of dental plaque as a mixed culture biofilm will lead to novel control strategies. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

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Antibiotic treatment of biofilm infections.

Antonio Oliver, María Maciá, Estrella Rojo-Molinero … (2017)

Bacterial biofilms are associated with a wide range of infections, from those related to exogenous devices, such as catheters or prosthetic joints, to chronic tissue infections such as those occurring in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Biofilms are recalcitrant to antibiotic treatment due to multiple tolerance mechanisms (phenotypic resistance). This causes persistence of biofilm infections in spite of antibiotic exposure which predisposes to antibiotic resistance development (genetic resistance). Understanding the interplay between phenotypic and genetic resistance mechanisms acting on biofilms, as well as appreciating the diversity of environmental conditions of biofilm infections which influence the effect of antibiotics are required in order to optimize the antibiotic treatment of biofilm infections. Here, we review the current knowledge on phenotypic and genetic resistance in biofilms and describe the potential strategies for the antibiotic treatment of biofilm infections. Of note is the optimization of PK/PD parameters in biofilms, high-dose topical treatments, combined and sequential/alternate therapies or the use antibiotic adjuvants.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): High Throughput

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): High Throughput

Journal ID (publisher-id): high-throughput

Title: High-Throughput

Publisher: MDPI

ISSN (Electronic): 2571-5135

Publication date (Electronic): 31 August 2018

Publication date Collection: September 2018

Volume: 7

Issue: 3

Electronic Location Identifier: 24

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Touro College of Pharmacy, New York, NY 10027, USA; dberger@ 123456student.touro.edu (D.B.); arakhami2@ 123456student.touro.edu (A.R.); apollack5@ 123456student.touro.edu (A.P.)

[2 ]Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA

Author notes

[* ]Correspondence: zvi.loewy@ 123456touro.edu ; Tel.: +1-917-646-4718

Article

Publisher ID: high-throughput-07-00024

DOI: 10.3390/ht7030024

PMC ID: 6163956

PubMed ID: 30200379

SO-VID: 4a0dc42e-66cd-4aaf-8149-ed63733549da

License:

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Oral Biofilms: Development, Control, and Analysis

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Abstract

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Bacterial vaginosis and biofilm

Most cited references 17

The sociobiology of biofilms.

Dental plaque as a microbial biofilm.

Antibiotic treatment of biofilm infections.

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