Bacterial biofilm eradication and combating strategies

Abstract

Biofilm is an aggregation of microorganisms adhered to the substrate and confined in an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). The property of enhanced resistance to host immune response and antibiotics confer them a unique advantage over planktonic cells. Biofilm plays a vital role in microbial pathogenesis, medical device-associated infection and equipment damage. Microbial biofilm presents a critical medical challenge as a result of they are recalcitrant to current therapeutic regimes. One of the distinctive features of bacterial biofilms is an enhanced resistance and tolerance to antibiotics. Compared to the planktonic community, bacterial cells inside the biofilms have proven to be a thousand times more tolerant to standard antibiotics and are resistant to the natural defence mechanism by the host, making them highly difficult to remove. Some of the current biofilm mitigation approaches use biofilm inhibitors to prevent biofilm formation or agents that can disperse preformed biofilm. This review paper summarises the current methods employed to inhibit bacterial biofilm and agents that eradicate biofilms.