Biofilms are a global health threat, existing as recalcitrant and protective matrix, inhibiting antibiotic penetration and resisting major efforts at being eradicated. Researchers from Cytacoat AB, Karolinska Institutet and the University of Southhampton have developed... Read more
Biofilms form when bacteria colonies build a communal extracellular matrix polymeric substances. This shield provide both structural integrity and protection against antimicrobial treatments. This makes biofilm-associated infections particularly difficult to eradicate and drives the development... Read more
Curli is an amyloid protein produced by Salmonella enterica and other gut microbes as part of their biofilm structure. These biofilms help bacteria adhere to surfaces and evade immune responses. Recent findings suggest that curli... Read more
A new study explores the role of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) in the biofilm formation, capsule production, and virulence of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP), a bacterial strain responsible for severe and often antibiotic-resistant infections. The study... Read more
In this study, researchers from AIMES-Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences, Karolinska Institutet and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, investigated the biofilm formation process in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC)... Read more
Sterilisation of root canals before filling is crucial, as unsterile root canals can lead to microbial regrowth and infection. Using methods available today, bacterial regrowth cannot always be prevented as root canal cleaning is challenging... Read more
Formation of biofilm negatively influences wound healing and chronic wounds are known to contain biofilms. Advanced anti-biofilm approaches, preventing biofilm formation but also getting-rid-of already formed biofilm are necessary. However, a lack of standardised models... Read more
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common type of infection of the urinary system caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). Unsurprisingly, the microenvironment of the urinary tract provides a challenge for colonisation as bacteria are... Read more
Antibiotic susceptibility testing is widely performed in clinical microbiology labs. The disk diffusion method is the gold standard for confirming the susceptibility of bacteria. Using this method, introduced by Bauer and Kirby in 1956, a... Read more
Microbial populations communicate to achieve tasks that a single organism can not. Therefore, understanding the intricate interactions between different microorganisms is an essential missing piece of scientific knowledge. Elucidating the details of the interaction between... Read more
Bacteria and fungi produce biofilms whenever they adhere to a surface to protect themselves from environmental stressors, including antibiotics. Biofilm-related infections are therefore often hard to treat and do not respond well to antibiotic treatment.... Read more
Candida albicans is a commensal fungus that lives among the gut flora of 40 to 60% of healthy individuals, where it presents as ovoid “yeast” cells. Changes in its environment can trigger a switch towards... Read more
Tracking biofilm growth of Salmonella on a semi-solid substrate with GFP-expressing Salmonella bacteria in green and curli in self-produced ECM labeled with EbbaBiolight 680 in red. Video from Choong, F.X. et al. (2021) Biofilm, 3,... Read more
Antibiotic resistance is a major worldwide threat, rising to dangerous levels in which first-line antibiotics will no longer be effective. In this study researchers at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany described the use of antimicrobial peptides... Read more
Fast and reliable testing for pathogenic bacteria like Stapylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is highly desirable in the clinic as it can cause deep-seated infections such as osteomyelitis and endocarditis and is the major cause for... Read more
A short video clip explains the significance of a test for cellulose in urine indicating the presence of a biofilm related infection. Bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) are known to hide during an... Read more
A 2016 study by the Swedish Medical Nanoscience Center at Karolinska Institutet used an EbbaBiolight-like Molecule to detect growth of Salmonella biofilm. This unique fluorescent tracer molecule is non-bactericidal and is therefore capable to dynamically... Read more
