Recent Advances in Biofilmology and Antibiofilm Measures
1SASTRA University, Thanjavur, India
2Alagappa University, Karaikudi, India
3Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
4Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand
5Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, USA
Recent Advances in Biofilmology and Antibiofilm Measures
Description
Microbial biofilms are microcosms attaching irreversibly on abiotic and biotic surfaces and are promulgated as single or multiple communities. Microbial biofilms are often characterized by an extracellular matrix composed of extracellular polymeric substance which mediates cell-to-cell and cell-to-surface interactions which stabilize the biofilms. Biofilms are a major detrimental factor in the industrial domain, wherein a substantial amount of cost and time is spent to remove these biofilms formed on industrial plants and to mitigate the long-standing issue of biofouling in the marine environment. Considering the medical scenario, biofilms formed by pathogens (bacteria and fungi) are responsible for causing a myriad of human infections which are intricate to treat as they are resistant to antimicrobial drugs and to the host immune system. Furthermore, biofilm formation on medical devices which accounts for device related infections poses a huge challenge to the medical fraternity. Understanding the dynamics of biofilms (i.e., factors that regulate microbial activity and population structure) also plays a crucial role in controlling the undesirable effects of microbial colonization of surfaces. As the concept of biofilms has rejuvenated the field of microbiology and has become an inseparable part under the umbrella of microbiology, the main aim of this special issue is to get updated about the recent developments in the field of biofilmology and discuss the various novel ways of combating this serious threat. We elicit high quality research articles focusing on recent concepts in biofilm biology, novel techniques developed with microbial biofilms for industrial and environmental application, and the latest methods (physical and chemical agents) for treating deleterious biofilms.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Biofilmology of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens
- Dynamism of biofilms
- Application of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) for biofilm studies
- Biofilms in industrial settings and environmental bioremediation
- Novel biofouling control strategies
- Nanotechnology for antibiofilm surfaces
- Biofilm diagnosis: possible methods
- In vivo models for biofilm study
- Antibiofilm agents from the marine environment
- Synthetic and natural products as antibiofilm agents
- Electroactive biofilms