Chapter 16 - Reprogramming the metabolomics of biofilms

Abstract

A biofilm is a conglomeration of surface-attached microbial cells enclosed in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances with extracellular proteins, DNA, and polysaccharides, formed under stressful environments (Hung et al., 2013). Bacterial biofilms are particularly ubiquitous in the natural environment and are important in a variety of industrial, clinical, and ecological settings (Costerton et al., 1995). Nevertheless, biofilms are responsible for many clinical infections, food, and environmental contamination. Many human infections with high-frequency antibiotic resistance have been observed to be associated with biofilm formation, which allows bacteria to survive and prolong their life span, supporting the recurrence of infection. Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms are common in a variety of illnesses, including surgical site infections brought on by medical devices, persistent wounds, and respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis. A common, frequently recurrent, or even fatal infection, urinary tract infection, is typically brought on by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (Hall-Stoodley et al., 2004). Several other bacterial biofilms such as Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans are associated with catheter-related bloodstream infection and biliary tube–related infection, respectively (Del Pozo, 2018). Nonetheless, there is a scarcity of effective biofilm diagnosis, prevention, and mitigation strategies.