BiofilmPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-04-18DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100363
Kerry S. Williamson , Michael J. Franklin
{"title":"An optimized mung bean seedling model for characterizing virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm infections","authors":"Kerry S. Williamson , Michael J. Franklin","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100363","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100363","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant-based infection models provide cost effective and biologically relevant systems for investigating bacterial pathogenesis and virulence in living hosts. The mung bean seedling model enables the study of bacterial biofilms on living surfaces by allowing attachment and biofilm development on plants, but its broader use has been limited by methodological complexity and variability in experimental outcomes. Here, we present a modified mung bean seedling biofilm infection model for assessing <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> virulence that improves both consistency and practicality. The assay incorporates a bleach-based seed sterilization protocol that effectively reduces surface associated contaminants while maintaining high seed germination percentages. Additional refinements, including dehulling germinated seedlings, a shortened bacterial inoculation period, and plate-based incubation of seedlings at 37 °C, minimize variability in plant health outcomes while supporting development of gnotobiotic plants. Plant mortality, cotyledon emergence, and root branching were identified as rapid and quantitative measures of biofilm associated disease. Using this modified assay, reproducible differences in virulence were detected among <em>P. aeruginosa</em> strains, including reduced pathogenicity in a <em>pqsR</em> quorum sensing mutant. This simplified mung bean seedling model provides an accessible platform for studying biofilm associated virulence and screening genes involved in biofilm-mediated pathogenicity on a biotic surface.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100363"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148231060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiofilmPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-05-28DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100370
Gianmarco Mangiaterra , Massimiliano Lucidi , Giorgia Piccioni , Riccardo Rosa , Davide Gugliandolo , Ida De Fino , Martina Rossano , Carla Vignaroli , Paolo Visca , Alessandra Bragonzi , Barbara Citterio
{"title":"Evidence of cefiderocol-persistence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro biofilms and in a murine infection model","authors":"Gianmarco Mangiaterra , Massimiliano Lucidi , Giorgia Piccioni , Riccardo Rosa , Davide Gugliandolo , Ida De Fino , Martina Rossano , Carla Vignaroli , Paolo Visca , Alessandra Bragonzi , Barbara Citterio","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100370","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100370","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Persistent and viable but non-culturable (VBNC) <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> cells hamper the eradication and contribute to the recurrence of biofilm-related infections, especially in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, often experiencing difficult-to-treat lung infections. The siderophore-cephalosporin cefiderocol, which hijacks bacterial iron-uptake systems, has emerged as a last-resort antibiotic against antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and represents a desirable therapeutic option; however, there is still limited information about its impact on bacterial persisters.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div><em>P. aeruginosa</em> biofilms were exposed to either tobramycin, ceftazidime, or cefiderocol at their minimum biofilm eradication concentrations under iron depletion in a rich or minimal medium. The bacterial survivors were quantified by combining cultural enumerations, quantitative PCR and confocal microscopy, to detect both culturable and VBNC cells. To extend these observations <em>in vivo</em>, a murine model of <em>P. aeruginosa</em> lung infection was employed, and bacterial burden and VBNC frequency were assessed following antibiotic treatment.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A higher amount of culturable <em>P. aeruginosa</em> cells was recovered after cefiderocol challenge (∼10<sup>5</sup> CFU/ml) compared to tobramycin and ceftazidime (10<sup>3</sup>-10<sup>4</sup> CFU/ml). Notably, it induced a significantly lower proportion of VBNC cells (∼85.2%) than the aminoglycoside (98.95%) or ceftazidime (95.80%).</div><div>Consistently, cefiderocol exposure resulted in a higher bacterial survival <em>in vivo</em>, but in a lower frequency of VBNC subpopulation (71.89%) compared to tobramycin (81,58%).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Overall, these findings emphasize the capacity of <em>P. aeruginosa</em> to withstand treatment with cefiderocol and highlight the need to account for the roles of bacterial persisters and VBNC cells in the recurrence of chronic infections, particularly among CF patients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100370"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148178092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiofilmPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-11DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100355
Yanina Nahum , Neila Gross , Johnathan Muhvich , Muhammad H. Zaman
{"title":"Microplastics as active modulators of Escherichia coli biofilm characteristics and their implications on the development of antimicrobial resistance","authors":"Yanina Nahum , Neila Gross , Johnathan Muhvich , Muhammad H. Zaman","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100355","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100355","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microplastics are increasingly recognized as substrates that facilitate microbial colonization and may contribute to antimicrobial resistance, yet their role in shaping biofilm physiology remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the antibiotic susceptibility, structural features, mechanical properties, and composition of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of <em>Escherichia coli</em> (<em>E. coli</em>) biofilms grown under flow and under identical conditions with three different materials: control (C), glass microbeads (G), and microplastic 10-μm beads (MP). We performed 24h antibiotic susceptibility tests using ciprofloxacin and found significantly enhanced tolerance in MP-biofilms, with approximately 60% of cells remaining viable after exposure to 350 μg/mL, compared to 24% in G-biofilms and minimal survival in controls at lower concentrations of ciprofloxacin (P < 0.0001). Reducing microplastic concentrations ten-fold did not enhance susceptibility, whereas lighter, hollow glass beads generated significantly more susceptible biofilms. MP-biofilms were shown to be nearly seven times thicker than control biofilms and exhibited localized zones of high cell density surrounding the microbeads. We further observed lower creep compliance in MP- and G-biofilms relative to controls, indicating increased stiffness. Finally, we analyzed EPS matrix composition and found that only MP-biofilms displayed substantial enrichment across all EPS components, especially proteins (>2.5-fold increase, P < 0.0001). Together, these results indicate that microplastics can not only serve as favorable surfaces for bacterial attachment and colonization but also actively promote biofilm architectures and biochemical features that confer elevated antibiotic tolerance. Our findings highlight microplastics as contributors to drug-tolerant biofilm microbial communities and reinforce their role as emerging environmental drivers of antimicrobial resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100355"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiofilmPub Date : 2026-06-01DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100372
Kylie B. Bodle , Ghazal Vahidi , Erick Johnson , Diane Walker , Al Parker , Christopher Jones , Darla Goeres , Brent M. Peyton , Heidi J. Smith
{"title":"Assessing a method for single- and multidomain biofilm growth in a novel biofilm reactor: shear stress, ruggedness, repeatability, and reproducibility","authors":"Kylie B. Bodle , Ghazal Vahidi , Erick Johnson , Diane Walker , Al Parker , Christopher Jones , Darla Goeres , Brent M. Peyton , Heidi J. Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100372","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100372","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous lab-scale bioreactor systems exist to cultivate biofilms under desired growth conditions. However, existing systems have not been able to simultaneously deliver low shear stress, high gas transfer, and intermittent wetting. The industrial surfaces biofilm reactor (ISBR) was specifically developed to overcome these limitations by simultaneously providing these conditions. This study presents the first standard operating procedure (SOP) for the growth of a model biofilm-forming organism, <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em>, within the ISBR, providing a reproducible framework for investigating biofilm development under conditions that closely mimic industrial environments. Statistical analyses confirmed the SOP's repeatability, ruggedness, and reproducibility using biofilm density and biovolume data, supported by an analytical shear stress model for ISBR coupons. Biofilm densities were rugged to recycle and rotation rate deviations but increased with influent feed rate. Conversely, biovolumes were rugged to influent feed and rotation rate changes but declined with higher recycle rates. Both metrics demonstrated excellent repeatability and reproducibility, underscoring the need to assess these characteristics for consistent biofilm formation. Additionally, as a proof-of-concept, two multidomain biofilms (a <em>Legionella pneumophila-Vermamoeba vermiformis</em> model and a <em>Rhodotorula mucilaginosa</em> yeast-<em>P. aeruginosa</em> bacterial coculture) were cultivated and analyzed. Both exhibited high repeatability, and the coculture remained stable over a month-long growth period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100372"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148178090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Identification of biofilm-associated genes in Arcobacter butzleri","authors":"Adrián Salazar-Sánchez , Jean-Marc Ghigo , Ilargi Martínez-Ballesteros , Irati Martinez-Malaxetxebarria","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100344","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100344","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Arcobacter butzleri</em> is an emerging zoonotic and foodborne pathogen isolated from human diarrhoeal samples and environmental sources. Despite its increasing clinical relevance, functional studies in this species have been limited by the lack of effective genetic tools. In this study, we report the first successful application of random transposon mutagenesis using the EZ-Tn5 transposome system in three <em>A. butzleri</em> strains. Transformation efficiency was found to be strain-dependent, with only one strain (P8) yielding enough mutants for phenotypic screening. A total of 56 mutants were characterised with 29 different disrupted genes, all exhibiting significantly reduced biofilm formation, and ten strains showing reduced or abolished motility. Furthermore, the phenotype of some mutants was also associated with lactate metabolism, methionine auxotrophy, cold sensibility and resistance to several antimicrobials. The identification of multiple independent insertions at identical nucleotide positions suggests possible insertional hotspots, although no conserved sequence motifs were identified. Overall, our findings provide novel insights into the gene functions associated with biofilm formation and other phenotypes in <em>A. butzleri</em>. This work not only represents a significant technical advancement for the genetic manipulation of this bacterium species but also establishes a foundation for future functional genomics studies aimed at elucidating the pathogenicity and environmental adaptability of <em>A. butzleri</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100344"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145926548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiofilmPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100352
D.C. Coraça-Huber , C. Spiegel , B.F. Moraes , R. Arora
{"title":"Beyond the germ: Rethinking implant-related infections as a host–microbiota–biomaterial ecosystem","authors":"D.C. Coraça-Huber , C. Spiegel , B.F. Moraes , R. Arora","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100352","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100352","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Implant-related infections remain one of the most challenging complications in modern medicine, often leading to implant failure, revision surgery, significant patient morbidity and high rate of patient mortality. Traditionally framed within the germ theory paradigm, their pathogenesis has been attributed primarily to microbial contamination and biofilm formation. However, growing evidence reveals a far more complex picture in which infection susceptibility emerges from the dynamic interplay between <strong>host biology, microbiota composition, biomaterial properties, and environmental influences</strong><strong>.</strong> Host immune tone, metabolic status, and systemic exposures shape the tissue environment in ways that either resist or facilitate microbial colonization. The microbiota contributes to this balance not only by mediating immune responses and providing colonization resistance but also through metabolites and detoxification mechanisms that influence local and systemic immunity. Biomaterials themselves are active participants in this ecosystem: metal ion release, corrosion, and surface properties modulate both host responses and microbial behavior.</div><div>A particularly intriguing concept is the potential <strong>dual role of biofilms</strong> — not only as pathogenic reservoirs but also as <strong>detoxification systems</strong> that sequester metal ions and buffer oxidative stress at the host–implant interface. Recognizing this duality reframes biofilms as biological structures that may, in part, participate in protective containment, albeit at the cost of sustaining low-grade inflammation and risk of septicemia.</div><div>Looking forward, the integration of <strong>systems biology approaches</strong> promises to transform our understanding and management of implant-associated infections. Multi-omics profiling, predictive modeling, engineered probiotics, dietary modulation, and novel implant surface designs represent emerging strategies that target the entire host–microbe–material interface. By bridging insights from immunology, microbiome science, biomaterials research, and digital technologies, a new paradigm is emerging — one that views infection prevention and treatment not simply as microbial eradication, but as the cultivation of a resilient biological and material ecosystem around the implant.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100352"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiofilmPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-05-19DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100368
Louise Vinther Grøn , Laura Muñoz-Duarte , Ian P.G. Marshall , Niels Krabbe Johnsen , Bekir Engin Eser , Yinxiao Ma , Merijn Eken , Michael Vedel Wegener Kofoed , Klaus Koren , Jo Philips
{"title":"Adaptive laboratory evolution increased biofilm formation by Sporomusa ovata through a mutation in galU","authors":"Louise Vinther Grøn , Laura Muñoz-Duarte , Ian P.G. Marshall , Niels Krabbe Johnsen , Bekir Engin Eser , Yinxiao Ma , Merijn Eken , Michael Vedel Wegener Kofoed , Klaus Koren , Jo Philips","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100368","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100368","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Acetogenic bacteria are attractive biocatalysts for the conversion of CO<sub>2</sub> with H<sub>2</sub> into acetate, as in gas fermentation. Gas fermentation reactors may benefit from biofilm formation, but attachment by acetogens is often limited. This study indeed found that the acetogen <em>Sporomusa ovata</em> 2663 was mainly planktonic and aimed to increase its biofilm formation through adaptive laboratory evolution. The adaptation strategy consisted of growing <em>S. ovata</em> on plastic (HDPE) carriers in bottles with a H<sub>2</sub>:CO<sub>2</sub> headspace and transferring two carriers to a bottle with fresh carriers over eight serial transfers. This procedure resulted in the evolved <em>S. ovata</em> 2663-BF, which had a consistent increased propensity to attach. In heterotrophic growth conditions, four times more cells attached to the bottom of well plates in comparison to the wild type, while the adapted <em>S. ovata</em> produced 1.8 times more extracellular polysaccharides. Moreover, twice as many cells adhered to carriers when grown on H<sub>2</sub>:CO<sub>2</sub>. This improved attachment, however, did not lead to higher acetate production rates in simple trickle bed reactors, as the experimental setup rather stimulated planktonic growth. Only medium replacement sometimes favored the rate of the adapted strain. Interestingly, the evolved <em>S. ovata</em> had a point mutation in the gene <em>galU</em>, which likely increased the activity of the encoding UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, i.e. an enzyme involved in the synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides. Overall, this study demonstrates that cell attachment by <em>S. ovata</em> was increased through adaptive laboratory evolution, offering the prospect of investigating the importance of biofilm formation in biofilm-based gas fermentation reactors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100368"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148178084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiofilmPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100353
Dibyangshee Singh, Jacobus Brink, Dishon Wayne Hiebner, Eoin Casey
{"title":"Fragmented but functional: Post-dispersion dynamics and phenotypic variation in dispersed biofilm-associated cells","authors":"Dibyangshee Singh, Jacobus Brink, Dishon Wayne Hiebner, Eoin Casey","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100353","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100353","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100353"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiofilmPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100350
Simon A. Eerden , Thomas Abeel , Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht , Samarpita Roy
{"title":"Phylogenetic analysis reveals diversity in glycan biosynthesis in “Candidatus Accumulibacter”","authors":"Simon A. Eerden , Thomas Abeel , Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht , Samarpita Roy","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100350","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2026.100350","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although biofilms are widespread in nature, the ecological roles and compositional diversity of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) forming these structures remain poorly understood. Here, we apply a bottom-up genomic approach by investigating the biosynthetic potential for glycan precursors in the genus “<em>Candidatus</em> Accumulibacter”, with a focus on assessing the intra-genus variability. Within a curated set of 61 “<em>Ca.</em> Accumulibacter” MAGs, our analysis revealed a dichotomy in glycan precursors between a conserved core group of 9 nucleotide-sugars and a variable accessory set of 12 nucleotide-sugars, out of 50 nucleotide-sugars tested. The core nucleotide-sugars in “<em>Ca</em>. Accumulibacter” are related to nucleotide-sugars also found to be widely distributed across the tree of life, whereas the accessory set is enriched in rare nucleotide-sugars. The accessory nucleotide-sugars show an irregular distribution across “<em>Ca.</em> Accumulibacter” phylogeny, and divergent evolutionary histories. This highlights the possibility that distinct evolutionary pressures act on different parts of the EPS-formation metabolism, leading to genotypic diversification driven by complex biological phenomena such as horizontal gene transfer that support the observed divergent evolutionary histories.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100350"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiofilmPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2025-12-09DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100341
Emily Rudolph , Shuxian Li , Broncio Aguilar-Sanjuan , Seungwon Ko , Priyanshu S. Raikwar , Carolin M. Kobras , Serena Bettoni , Samuel K. Sheppard , Maisem Laabei
{"title":"Functional and comparative genomic characterization of biofilm formation in Staphylococcus aureus","authors":"Emily Rudolph , Shuxian Li , Broncio Aguilar-Sanjuan , Seungwon Ko , Priyanshu S. Raikwar , Carolin M. Kobras , Serena Bettoni , Samuel K. Sheppard , Maisem Laabei","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100341","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100341","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biofilms are structured communities of bacterial cells enclosed in a self-produced extracellular matrix. In the pathogen <em>Staphylococcus aureus,</em> this can enhance resistance to antibiotics and immune responses, contributing significantly to chronic infections associated with medical devices. The underlying mechanisms include the production of polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA), encoded by the <em>icaADBC</em> operon, and surface proteins that mediate adhesion. However, it has been challenging to translate <em>in vitro</em> understanding to explain the molecular mechanisms governing biofilm formation <em>in vivo</em>. Here we combined functional and comparative genomics approaches to investigate genetic factors influencing biofilm formation in isolates belonging to the clinically important ST-8 clonal complex (CC8). Phenotypic and genomic screening of a closely related strain cohort (MRSA USA300 isolates) revealed considerable variability in biofilm formation. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified several genes and polymorphisms linked to biofilm development. These included known biofilm genes and compensatory mutations that restored wild-type biofilm levels in hyper-biofilm forming mucoid isolates. Finally, contextualizing CC8 genomes within diverse <em>S. aureus</em> populations revealed the natural occurrence of biofilm-associated genomic variation as well as evidence for the conservation of the <em>ica</em> loci in CC8. This offers insight into the mechanisms and microevolutionary events that give rise to clinically relevant staphylococcal infections.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100341"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}