Biofilm最新文献

{"title":"Human neutrophil α-defensin HNP1 interacts with bacterial cell wall components to promote biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus","authors":"Chongbing Liao ,&nbsp;Dan Yao ,&nbsp;Zeyu Sun ,&nbsp;Bryan Ericksen ,&nbsp;Bei Jiang ,&nbsp;Yang Zhou ,&nbsp;Mingzhu Zhao ,&nbsp;Xiaomei Hu ,&nbsp;Dan Xu ,&nbsp;Yang Wu ,&nbsp;Wuyuan Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100338","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100338","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> is a major opportunistic pathogen whose ability to form biofilms significantly enhances its persistence and antibiotic resistance. We previously found that human neutrophil peptide 1 (HNP1), a member of the α-defensin family, promotes biofilm formation in <em>Acinetobacter baumannii</em>. Here, we demonstrate that HNP1 enhances biofilm formation across a range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with particularly strong effects in <em>S. aureus</em>, which increases its tolerance to multiple antibiotics. Mechanistically, HNP1 promotes bacterial adhesion and self-aggregation, facilitating the early stages of biofilm development. Transcriptomic analysis revealed minimal activation of canonical biofilm-associated genes, suggesting that HNP1 acts through a non-transcriptional mechanism. Notably, HNP1 was found to interact with <em>S. aureus</em> cell wall components, peptidoglycan and wall teichoic acid, which mainly triggers biofilm formation. These findings expand the role of HNP1 in promoting biofilm formation, which may have implications for understanding infection persistence and antibiotic tolerance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100338"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145617924","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":"Temperate bacteriophage induced in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms can modulate bacteriophage and antibiotic resistance","authors":"Mark Grevsen Martinet ,&nbsp;Bolaji John Samuel ,&nbsp;Tinatini Tchatchiashvili ,&nbsp;Daniel Weiss ,&nbsp;Mathias W. Pletz ,&nbsp;Oliwia Makarewicz","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100333","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100333","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given the high resistance levels in Gram-negative bacteria, phage therapy is receiving increasing attention. In Germany, a clinical study is already underway evaluate a phage cocktail for treating <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. In this context, we investigated the prevalence of PF1-like prophages in <em>P. aeruginosa</em> isolates from a local CF cohort, their ability to undergo lytic conversion during biofilm formation, and the resulting impact on the resistance profile of the <em>P. aeruginosa</em> population. Consistent with other studies, prophage Pf4 was the most prevalent in this cohort and became during biofilm formation even in the absence of external triggers. This lytic conversion rapidly generated a subpopulation resistant to the virulent phages, potentially complicating phage therapy. However, this subpopulation also became more susceptible to most antibiotics commonly used in CF, suggesting a potential therapeutic opportunity. Interestingly, this bacterial subset lost its susceptibility to colistin, an important inhaled antibiotic in CF, which could increase the risk of treatment failure. These findings underscore both the challenges and potential strategies for improving treatment outcomes in CF patients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100333"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145617917","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":"Antimicrobial mechanism of in-situ plasma activated water treatment of pathogenic Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus biofilms","authors":"Binbin Xia ,&nbsp;Heema Kumari Nilesh Vyas ,&nbsp;Scott A. Rice ,&nbsp;Timothy P. Newsome ,&nbsp;Patrick J. Cullen ,&nbsp;Anne Mai-Prochnow","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100303","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100303","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the efficacy and mechanisms of inactivation against <em>Escherichia coli</em> UTI89 and <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> NCTC8325 through an <em>in-situ</em> plasma-activated water (PAW) treatment. PAW was prepared by discharging atmospheric pressure cold plasma beneath the surface of sterile distilled water. The study investigated the inactivation of biofilm cells and biofilm matrix. <em>In situ</em> PAW treatment of both <em>E. coli</em> and <em>S. aureus</em> biofilms resulted in significant reduction in viable cells of 6.76 ± 0.01 log CFU/mL and 6.82 ± 0.02 log CFU/mL, respectively. Notably, relative to <em>E. coli</em>, <em>S. aureus</em> biofilms were rapidly inactivated by 11 min of treatment. Mechanistically, we demonstrate how PAW treatment led to significant biofilm structure disruption, inducing a significant reduction in biofilm biomass and extracellular polymer substances (EPS) matrix. We propose that disruption of the EPS, facilitated greater interaction between PAW and the bacterial cells of the treated biofilms, resulting in significant intracellular reactive oxygen and nitrogen species accumulation as well as significant membrane permeability with disruption to membrane structure resulting in rapid cell death. Collectively, these findings indicate that PAW effectively inactivates biofilms by targeting the biofilm EPS matrix and biofilm cells in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Whilst PAW is an emerging technology, our study underscores PAW as an effective strategy to control bacterial biofilms of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, with utility in diverse sectors and industries. Advantageously, we highlight the multiple mechanisms of action of this technology, which possesses a capacity to overcome the challenges of antimicrobial resistance given that it targets multiple components of bacteria and their biofilms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100303"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144654379","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":"Influence of the ATP-dependent DNA ligase, Lig E, on Neisseria gonorrhoeae microcolony and biofilm formation","authors":"Jolyn Pan ,&nbsp;Abdullah Albarrak ,&nbsp;Joanna Hicks ,&nbsp;David Williams ,&nbsp;Adele Williamson","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100292","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100292","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</em>, the causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection, gonorrhoea, is known to form biofilms rich in extracellular DNA on human cervical cells. Biofilm formation is conducive to increased antimicrobial resistance and evasion of the host immune system, potentially causing asymptomatic infections. Using plate-based assays we have previously shown that disruption of a potential extracellular DNA ligase, Lig E, in <em>N. gonorrhoeae</em> impacts biofilm formation. In this research, we further explored this phenotype using confocal and scanning electron microscopy to directly visualise the morphology of microcolony and biofilm formation. Biofilm growth on artificial surfaces and on 3-dimensional human vaginal epithelial tissue was evaluated for strains where <em>lig E</em> was either disrupted or overexpressed. Results demonstrated that Lig E was important for the formation of robust, compact <em>N. gonorrhoeae</em> microcolonies, as well as extensive biofilms on artificial surfaces. The <em>lig E</em> deletion strain also had the highest tendency to be retained on the surface of epithelial tissues, with decreased invasion and damage to host cell layers. These findings support a role for Lig E to be secreted from <em>N. gonorrhoeae</em> cells for the purpose of inter-cell adhesion and biofilm formation. We suggest that Lig E strengthens the extracellular matrix and hence microcolony and biofilm formation of <em>N. gonorrhoeae</em> by ligation of extracellular DNA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100292"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144322607","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":"Dynamic visualization of extracellular matrix components in S. aureus colony biofilms reveals functional amyloids leading to the formation of cap-like structures","authors":"Tianqi Zhang ,&nbsp;Julian Bär ,&nbsp;Lovisa Risberg ,&nbsp;Alejandro Gómez Mejia ,&nbsp;Hugo Hammar ,&nbsp;Susanne Löffler ,&nbsp;Daniel Erik Otzen ,&nbsp;Maria Andreasen ,&nbsp;Rikke Louise Meyer ,&nbsp;Keira Melican ,&nbsp;Annelies S. Zinkernagel ,&nbsp;Agneta Richter-Dahlfors","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100318","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100318","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> infections represent a clinical challenge due to their propensity to form biofilms and the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance. The ability of <em>S. aureus</em> to form biofilm affects clinical outcome, but techniques to study extracellular matrix (ECM) in <em>S. aureus</em> biofilms are lacking. Here, we present an agar-based method in which the optotracer EbbaBiolight 680 (Ebba680) is used to visualize ECM formation alongside evaluation of colony growth dynamics in agar colonies. As models for colony biofilms, we use drop inoculation for macrocolony formation or spread-plating for single-cell derived colonies. Kinetic fluorescence spectroscopy combined with time-lapse microscopy showed bright fluorescence signals, revealing different spatial-temporal appearance of ECM in macrocolonies versus single-cell derived colonies. In contrast, the microstructure was conserved between the two types of colonies. Detailed characterization of the biofilm microstructures by confocal microscopy revealed Ebba680 binding targets interspersed between cells as well as in a cap-like structure formed on the outer surface of the biofilm. Accessory gene regulator (<em>agr</em>) controlled expression of Ebba680 binding target(s) and the binding of Ebba680 to synthetic fibrillated phenol soluble modulins (fPSMs) suggests these functional amyloids act as targets for Ebba680 in the biofilm ECM. By upgrading ColTapp, an application developed for colony radius quantification, to also analyze fluorescence images, concurrent analysis of Ebba680-stained ECM and colony growth was achieved. This provided a new dimension to the assessment of colony biofilms. Detailed phenotypic characterization of clinical isolates is critical for treatment decision making, and enhanced screening which includes ECM as presented here has potential to facilitate treatment decisions in problematic staphylococcal infections.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100318"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157322","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":"Formation of CO2-dependent small-colony variants (SCVs) in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus mediated by a single point mutation in mpsB","authors":"Sisi Chen ,&nbsp;Wanyang Dong ,&nbsp;Song Li ,&nbsp;Tian Zhong ,&nbsp;Xiping Qian ,&nbsp;Yi Cai ,&nbsp;Yanrui Ye ,&nbsp;Junyan Liu ,&nbsp;Zhenbo Xu ,&nbsp;Wenchang Yuan","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100320","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100320","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div><em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> is a major human pathogen and the emergence of small colony variants (SCVs) makes the treatment of <em>S. aureus</em> infections more challenging. The mechanism of CO₂-dependent SCVs (CO₂-SCVs) remains inadequately explored.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this study, a clinical CO₂-SCV strain (GY8) and a normal strain (GY9) were characterized from a patient with long-term infection. Through whole-genome sequencing, we detected a point mutation (H607Y) in the <em>mpsB</em> gene associated with the SCV phenotype. Transcriptomic profiling of both strains was performed to identify key genes or pathways closely related to SCV formation, followed by functional validation.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The <em>mpsB</em> (H607Y) mutant exhibited typical SCV characteristics, including reduced growth rate, decreased pigmentation, and increased aminoglycoside resistance. Compared to GY9, the SCV strain GY8 showed attenuated virulence but enhanced intracellular persistence, facilitating chronic infection. Additionally, the mutant displayed heightened sensitivity to Triton X-100 induced cell lysis, though electron microscopy revealed significant changes in cell wall thickness.under ambient air. Finally, protein structure prediction and molecular docking analysis revealed that the H607 residue likely serves as the active center of MpsB, providing new mechanistic insights into the formation of CO₂-SCVs.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our findings demonstrate that a single mpsB mutation drives SCV emergence, highlighting its role in persistent infections and providing potential targets for therapeutic intervention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100320"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145264887","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":"A comprehensive study on the dual species biofilm formation of clinical Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans strains from the same origins","authors":"Yaqin Li ,&nbsp;Xiang Zhou ,&nbsp;Haoyue Xue ,&nbsp;Jiaying Hong ,&nbsp;Nixuan Gu ,&nbsp;Qian Li ,&nbsp;Guangchao Yu ,&nbsp;Xiaomao Yin ,&nbsp;Lei Yuan ,&nbsp;Mahesh Premarathna ,&nbsp;Xin Lin ,&nbsp;Yuzhu Mao ,&nbsp;Junyan Liu ,&nbsp;Zhenbo Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100324","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100324","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biofilms, complex microbial communities that enhance pathogen survival in hostile environments, are integral to chronic infections and often exhibit polymicrobial interactions that influence disease outcomes. Among these, <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> and <em>Candida albicans</em> co-infections are of particular clinical significance due to their synergistic mechanisms, resulting in invasive and treatment-resistant infections. This study investigated the interaction dynamics of <em>S. aureus</em> and <em>C. albicans</em> in both planktonic and biofilm states, focusing on growth dominance, biofilm formation, and structural adaptations under different conditions. Results revealed that <em>C. albicans</em> dominated in planktonic co-culture, suppressing <em>S. aureus</em> growth, whereas biofilm conditions favored mutual adaptation, with hyphae-competent <em>C. albicans</em> forming dual-species biofilms with <em>S. aureus</em> that accumulated substantial biomass, thereby enhancing biofilm cohesion and resistance. Compared to yeast cells in YPD, hyphal growth induced by RPMI substrates significantly augmented biofilm formation across the early, proliferating, and mature stages. Colonization order influenced biofilm architecture and interspecies interactions, with highly mature biofilms exhibiting dense network structures and increased <em>C. albicans</em> hyphal formation. Mechanical measurements revealed an elastic modulus of up to 10 Pa, indicating enhanced biofilm rigidity and structural integrity. Notably, the hyphal contribution of <em>C. albicans</em> was stage-dependent—facilitating <em>S. aureus</em> proliferation during proliferating phase. These findings underscore the complexity of <em>S. aureus</em>-<em>C. albicans</em> interactions and highlight potential targets for disrupting biofilm-associated chronic infections.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100324"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145519284","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":"A fully automated model to form “dry surface biofilms” under optimal dehydration conditions. application to Enterobacteriaceae in healthcare settings","authors":"Nicolas Jean-Marie ,&nbsp;Talyssa Lebielle ,&nbsp;Myriam Louisin ,&nbsp;Claude Olive ,&nbsp;Karine Marion-Sanchez","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100312","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100312","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over ten years ago, bacteria attached to surfaces and surrounded by extracellular polymeric substances were observed on dry surfaces in intensive care units. These structures were named \"dry surface biofilms\" (DSBs). Most in vitro models used to study “DSBs” alternate long hydration phases with short periods of desiccation, producing \"semi-dehydrated DSBs\" that differ from the conditions in healthcare settings.</div><div>Our aim was to create a model that could produce \"DSBs\" under optimal dehydration conditions and apply it to Enterobacteriaceae. These bacteria are commonly responsible for healthcare-associated infections in our hospital, yet they have received little attention in the context of \"DSBs.\" We developed a fully automated model that mimics the splashing of respiratory secretions by repeatedly nebulizing an inoculum of contaminated artificial saliva. Hydration phases lasted 2 s every 6 h. We investigated the microscopic aspect, mean surface coverage, bacterial culturability and membrane integrity.</div><div>After validating the model with methicillin-resistant <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> (MRSA), we tested wild-type <em>Enterobacter cloacae</em>, wild-type <em>Klebsiella pneumonia</em><em>e</em> and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em>. The latter formed compact dried inocula with the highest surface coverage (29.7 %), containing curled-up bacteria alongside a low number of culturable cells (3 log₁₀). Conversely, dried <em>S. aureus</em> inocula covered a lower surface (10.9 %) but contained more culturable cells (6 log₁₀), which persisted for more than two months. After several weeks of storage, even the samples containing no more culturable bacteria showed bacteria with intact membranes. Subsequent studies must further assess in depth the composition of these deposits and the viability of the bacteria they contain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100312"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144893553","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":"The effect of multiple-enzyme treatment on in situ oral biofilm formation in healthy participants","authors":"Pernille Dukanovic Rikvold ,&nbsp;Andreas Møllebjerg ,&nbsp;Eero Juhani Raittio ,&nbsp;Signe Maria Nielsen ,&nbsp;Karina Kambourakis Johnsen ,&nbsp;Marie Braad Lund ,&nbsp;Mette Rose Jørgensen ,&nbsp;Rikke Louise Meyer ,&nbsp;Sebastian Schlafer","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100298","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100298","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Novel approaches for the prevention of biofilm-mediated oral diseases aim to control dental biofilms rather than eradicating bacteria in the mouth. One such approach is the use of enzymes that specifically target and degrade the dental biofilm matrix and thereby facilitate biofilm removal. Matrix-degrading enzymes have consistently shown promising results <em>in vitro</em>, but data on <em>in situ</em>-grown oral biofilms are limited. This study aimed to investigate the effect of combined treatment with mutanase, beta-glucanase and DNase on <em>in situ</em> biofilm formation and removal, microbial biofilm composition and biofilm pH.</div><div>Biofilms from healthy participants were grown for 48 or 72 h on lower-jaw splints and enzyme or control-treated during (3x/day, 30 min) or after growth (30 min). Under the tested conditions, enzyme treatment had no significant effect on biofilm formation or removal compared to control, as assessed by optical coherence tomography and confocal microscopy. Likewise, enzymatic treatment did not induce significant changes in the microbial composition of the biofilms that were dominated by <em>Streptococcus</em>, <em>Haemophilus</em>, <em>Neisseria</em>, <em>Veillonella</em> and <em>Fusobacterium</em> species. The biofilm pH response to a sucrose challenge was assessed using confocal microscopy-based pH ratiometry, and the average biofilm pH was not significantly different between the intervention groups. Under the conditions employed in this study, the tested enzymes had no significant impact on <em>in situ</em> grown biofilms. The treatment regimen, the biofilm composition, or the analytical methods employed may explain the difference to previous results. Further studies are warranted to assess the therapeutic potential of multi-enzyme treatment for dental biofilm control.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100298"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144490742","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":"A model, mixed-species urinary catheter biofilm derived from spinal cord injury patients","authors":"Parisa Noorian ,&nbsp;Kailey Hamann ,&nbsp;M. Mozammel Hoque ,&nbsp;Gustavo Espinoza-Vergara ,&nbsp;Joyce To ,&nbsp;Dominic Leo ,&nbsp;Priyadarshini Chari ,&nbsp;Gerard Weber ,&nbsp;Obaydullah Marial ,&nbsp;Julie Pryor ,&nbsp;Iain G. Duggin ,&nbsp;Bonsan Bonne Lee ,&nbsp;Scott A. Rice ,&nbsp;Diane McDougald","doi":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100332","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bioflm.2025.100332","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Complex multispecies biofilms consistently colonise urinary catheters, causing persistent asymptomatic bacteriuria and frequent symptomatic episodes in long-term catheterized individuals. Simple single-species models often fail to capture the complexities of mixed-species interactions and lab-based organisms may not reflect the genomic diversity found in real-world infections. Additionally, growth under flow conditions promotes robust, complex-biofilm structures. Therefore, to reflect the dynamics of <em>in vivo</em> infections, biofilm samples from clinical indwelling catheters of spinal cord injury (SCI) participants colonised by 5–10 species were used to establish polymicrobial macro-fluidic models, in catheters. This resulted in final models of 2–4 species biofilms.</div><div>Metagenomic techniques using short-read Illumina and long-read Oxford Nanopore sequencing was used to assess the taxonomic composition, <em>in vivo</em> to <em>in vitro</em> biofilms diversity shifts, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis and complete metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). <em>In silico</em> analysis revealed a high number of varied antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors and biofilm associated factors present in these biofilms.</div><div>Antibiotic resistance testing using our models highlighted the drastic differences between planktonic bacteria, single-species and multispecies biofilms. While single-species biofilms show considerably increased tolerance to antibiotics compared to their planktonic counterparts, this resistance is even greater in multispecies biofilms. Under flow conditions, all species in the multispecies biofilm showed increased resistance, unlike static conditions where only most did.</div><div>Models developed and characterised in this study are expected to facilitate testing of effective strategies to prevent and treat catheter-associated infections by enabling more accurate analysis of biofilm inhibition, disruption and microbial interactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55844,"journal":{"name":"Biofilm","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100332"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145617919","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}