What are Bacterial Biofilms ?
Biofilms are sessile communities of microorganisms attached to a biotic or abiotic surface and enclosed in a self-produced extracellular polymer matrix. Biofilms are more frequently associated with chronic diseases due particularly to an increased resistance to both conventional biocides and host immune system. Microorganisms that form biofilms include bacteria, fungi and protists.
Biofilms are often implicated in difficult-to-treat infections (chronic diseases, wound surfaces…). If biofilms are not promptly removed from wounds, they can delay healing resulting in chronic infection. In vitro testing has shown hypochlorous acid to rapidly kill important wound pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year at least 2 million Americans become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and at least 23,000 of them die as a direct result of these infections.
Hypochlorous Acid Articles
- Effectiveness of Hypochlorous Acid to Reduce the Biofilms on Titanium Alloy Surfaces in Vitro
- Bacterial biofilms on cochlear implants
- Bacteria Can Pass Memory of Biofilm Formation to Descendants