TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevention and treatment of Staphylococcus biofilms
AU - Speziale, Pietro
AU - Visai, Livia
AU - Rindi, Simonetta
AU - Pietrocola, Giampiero
AU - Provenza, Giulio
AU - Provenzano, Maria
PY - 2008/12
Y1 - 2008/12
N2 - Staphylococcus growth on medical devices represents a common occurrence that can lead to serious illness and death. Biomaterial-associated infection, mostly caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus, is fairly complicated by the organism' development of a biofilm, which provides a microenvironment that protects from attack by the host immune system and antibiotics. In this review we present recent insights regarding S. aureus and S. epidermidis structural and functional factors that are effective in biofilm development and describe the regulation of their expression. On the basis of the knowledge gained, we also present the potential and limits of current biochemical and biophysical strategies aimed at preventing biofilm formation or at the treatment of established mature biofilms.
AB - Staphylococcus growth on medical devices represents a common occurrence that can lead to serious illness and death. Biomaterial-associated infection, mostly caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus, is fairly complicated by the organism' development of a biofilm, which provides a microenvironment that protects from attack by the host immune system and antibiotics. In this review we present recent insights regarding S. aureus and S. epidermidis structural and functional factors that are effective in biofilm development and describe the regulation of their expression. On the basis of the knowledge gained, we also present the potential and limits of current biochemical and biophysical strategies aimed at preventing biofilm formation or at the treatment of established mature biofilms.
KW - Biofilm
KW - Biomaterials
KW - Staphylococcus
KW - Therapeutic strategies
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=61549106981&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.2174/092986708786848442
DO - 10.2174/092986708786848442
M3 - Article
C2 - 19075662
AN - SCOPUS:61549106981
VL - 15
SP - 3185
EP - 3195
JO - Current Medicinal Chemistry
JF - Current Medicinal Chemistry
SN - 0929-8673
IS - 30
ER -