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Microbial Biofilms-Implications for Healthcare and Environment
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Microbial Biofilms-Implications for Healthcare and Environment

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Infectious Disease Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2022) | Viewed by 34852

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ayesha Rahman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY, UK
Interests: microbial drug resistance; antibiotic prophylaxis; biofilms; microbial drug; clinical evidence; systematic review; pharmaceutical science
Dr. Hazel Gibson

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor
School of Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY, UK
Interests: investigating the attachment and inactivation of pathogens by a range of antimicrobial agents including disinfectants, antibiotics and natural antimicrobials such as spices and components; studies on the removal and inactivation of biofilms; optimization of antimicrobial effectiveness through combinations of treatments to enhance dispersal and/or increase susceptibility; development and assessment of the effectiveness of novel antimicrobial wound dressings using bacterial cellulose
Dr. Shivanthi Samarasinghe

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor
Leicester School of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
Interests: understand the prevalence, virulence characteristic of biofilm development, quorum sensing (bacterial communication), and mechanisms of resistance (Extended-spectrum Beta-Lactamase and Carbapenum producing) of Enterobacterales associated with common bacterial infections; pathogenic role of oral microbes and assess the susceptibility/resistance development; whole Genome Sequencing microbial pathogens to assess the pathogenic/virulence/resistance characteristics; development of novel Quantitative Real-Time PCR-based methods to diagnose antibiotic-resistant pathogens; analysis of therapeutic potential and efficacy of the natural antimicrobials as quorum sensing/biofilm inhibitors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biofilms are structured consortia of bacteria surrounded by an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) that provides resistance to antibiotics, disinfectants and the host immune response. Bacteria residing in biofilms are up to 1000 times more resistant to antibiotics than planktonic cells, which adds to the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Microbial biofilms play a prominent role in causing infections such as chronic cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic wound infections, urinary tract infections and medical device-related infections. Biofilms, which have clinical and environmental significance, are formed by microorganisms such as Staphylococcus spp., E.coli, Streptococcus spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Besides their notoriety, biofilms are also beneficial and are used in bioremediation to degrade pollutants. Recently extensive research is being undertaken to study the impact of biofilms in healthcare settings and the environment with emphasis laid on developing novel anti-biofilm agents that disrupt or inhibit biofilms. In addition, microbial strains are employed to degrade and detoxify environmental pollutants. This Special Issue will collate and publish recent and ongoing research in these areas. Therefore, we would like to invite you to submit your unpublished work in the form of reviews, original research articles, short communications, case reports, etc.

Dr. Ayesha Rahman
Dr. Hazel Gibson
Dr. Shivanthi Samarasinghe
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Microorganisms
  • Biofilms
  • Infections
  • Healthcare
  • Environment
  • Clinical
  • Antimicrobial agents
  • Anti-biofilm agents
  • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and bioremediation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 7908 KiB  
Article
Biofilm and Gene Expression Characteristics of the Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales, Escherichia coli IMP, and Klebsiella pneumoniae NDM-1 Associated with Common Bacterial Infections
by Majid Al-Bayati and Shivanthi Samarasinghe
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(8), 4788; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084788 - 14 Apr 2022
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4331
Abstract
In light of the limited therapeutic options with Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infections, understanding the bacterial risk factors, such as biofilm formation and related gene expression of CRE, is vital. This study investigates the biofilm formation and biofilm-related gene expression of two enteric Enterobacterales [...] Read more.
In light of the limited therapeutic options with Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infections, understanding the bacterial risk factors, such as biofilm formation and related gene expression of CRE, is vital. This study investigates the biofilm formation and biofilm-related gene expression of two enteric Enterobacterales with major CR determinants Escherichia coli IMP and Klebsiella pneumoniae NDM-1, which were seen in high prevalence in most common bacterial infections over the past few years. To our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrated the relationship between biofilm formation and the related gene expression, to understand the potential molecular mechanisms during the biofilm formation in CRE. Biofilms were quantified by tissue culture plate assay at the stages of the biofilm development: initial attachment (6 h), microcolony formation (12 h), maturation (24 h), and dispersion (48 h). In a dispersion, event bacteria detach without any mechanical means and colonise another area. To investigate the influence of different growth conditions on biofilm formation, biofilms were quantified under different growth conditions. In parallel, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assessed the biofilm-related gene expression of a cluster of genes, including biofilm maturation, quorum sensing, stress survival, and antibiotic resistance. Structural changes during biofilm development were assessed via confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). We observed that the biofilm formation of CRE is correlated with the biofilm development stages, with maximum biofilm observed at 24 h at the maturation stage. Our data also showed that biofilm growth, under the condition tested, is the major factor influencing the variability of biofilm gene expression quantification assays. qPCR analyses have demonstrated that the expression of biofilm-related genes is highly correlated with phenotypic biofilm development, and these findings can be further expanded to understand the variation in regulation of such genes in these significant CRE pathogens. Our study demonstrated that both CRE strains, E. coli IMP and K. pneumoniae NDM-1, are high biofilm formers, and genes involved in biofilm development are upregulated during biofilm growth. The characteristic of the increased biofilm formation with the upregulation of antibiotic-resistant and biofilm-related genes indicates the successful pathogenic role of biofilms of these selected CRE and is attributed to their multi-drug resistance ability and successful dissemination of CRE in common bacterial infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biofilms-Implications for Healthcare and Environment)
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12 pages, 1488 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Pathogenic-Mixed Biofilm Formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa/Staphylococcus aureus and Treatment with Limonene on Three Different Materials by a Dynamic Model
by Edvige Gambino, Angela Maione, Marco Guida, Luisa Albarano, Federica Carraturo, Emilia Galdiero and Valeria Di Onofrio
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3741; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063741 - 21 Mar 2022
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3932
Abstract
Background: Biofilms have been found growing on implantable medical devices. This can lead to persistent clinical infections. The highly antibiotic-resistant property of biofilms necessitates the search for both potent antimicrobial agents and novel antibiofilm strategies. Natural product-based anti-biofilm agents were found to be [...] Read more.
Background: Biofilms have been found growing on implantable medical devices. This can lead to persistent clinical infections. The highly antibiotic-resistant property of biofilms necessitates the search for both potent antimicrobial agents and novel antibiofilm strategies. Natural product-based anti-biofilm agents were found to be as efficient as chemically synthesized counterparts with fewer side effects. In the present study, the effects of limonene as an antibiofilm agent were evaluated on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formed on different surfaces using the CDC model system in continuous flow. The flgK gene and the pilA gene expression in P. aeruginosa, and the icaA gene and eno gene in S. aureus, which could be considered as efficient resistance markers, were studied. Methods: Mono- and dual-species biofilms were grown on polycarbonate, polypropylene, and stainless-steel coupons in a CDC biofilm reactor (Biosurface Technologies, Bozeman, MT, USA). To evaluate the ability of limonene to inhibit and eradicate biofilm, a sub-MIC concentration (10 mL/L) was tested. The gene expression of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus was detected by SYBR Green quantitative Real-Time PCR assay (Meridiana Bioline, Brisbane, Australia). Results: The limonene added during the formation of biofilms at sub-MIC concentrations works very well in inhibiting biofilms on all three materials, reducing their growth by about 2 logs. Of the same order of magnitude is the ability of limonene to eradicate both mono- and polymicrobial mature biofilms on all three materials. Greater efficacy was observed in the polymicrobial biofilm on steel coupons. The expression of some genes related to the virulence of the two microorganisms was differently detected in mono- and polymicrobial biofilm. Conclusions: These data showed that the limonene treatment expressed different levels of biofilm-forming genes, especially when both types of strains alone and together grew on different surfaces. Our findings showed that limonene treatment is also very efficient when biofilm has been grown under shear stress causing significant and irreversible damage to the biofilm structure. The effectiveness of the sanitation procedures can be optimized by applying antimicrobial combinations with natural compounds (e.g., limonene). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biofilms-Implications for Healthcare and Environment)
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Review

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20 pages, 1015 KiB  
Review
Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm: Morphology, Genetics, Pathogenesis and Treatment Strategies
by Muhammad Idrees, Sheeba Sawant, Nazira Karodia and Ayesha Rahman
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(14), 7602; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147602 - 16 Jul 2021
Cited by 179 | Viewed by 25205
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a nosocomial bacterium causing different infectious diseases, ranging from skin and soft tissue infections to more serious and life-threatening infections such as septicaemia. S. aureus forms a complex structure of extracellular polymeric biofilm that provides a fully secured and functional [...] Read more.
Staphylococcus aureus is a nosocomial bacterium causing different infectious diseases, ranging from skin and soft tissue infections to more serious and life-threatening infections such as septicaemia. S. aureus forms a complex structure of extracellular polymeric biofilm that provides a fully secured and functional environment for the formation of microcolonies, their sustenance and recolonization of sessile cells after its dispersal. Staphylococcus aureus biofilm protects the cells against hostile conditions, i.e., changes in temperature, limitations or deprivation of nutrients and dehydration, and, more importantly, protects the cells against antibacterial drugs. Drugs are increasingly becoming partially or fully inactive against S. aureus as they are either less penetrable or totally impenetrable due to the presence of biofilms surrounding the bacterial cells. Other factors, such as evasion of innate host immune system, genome plasticity and adaptability through gene evolution and exchange of genetic material, also contribute to the ineffectiveness of antibacterial drugs. This increasing tolerance to antibiotics has contributed to the emergence and rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a serious problem that has resulted in increased morbidity and mortality of human and animal populations globally, in addition to causing huge financial losses to the global economy. The purpose of this review is to highlight different aspects of S. aureus biofilm formation and its overall architecture, individual biofilm constituents, clinical implications and role in pathogenesis and drug resistance. The review also discusses different techniques used in the qualitative and quantitative investigation of S. aureus biofilm and various strategies that can be employed to inhibit and eradicate S. aureus biofilm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biofilms-Implications for Healthcare and Environment)
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