Biofilm Eradication and Prevention: A Pharmaceutical Approach to Medical Device Infections

Biofilm Eradication and Preventions presents the basics of biofilm formation on medical devices, diseases related to this formation, and approaches pharmaceutical researchers need to take to limit this problem. Split into three parts, the first deals with the development and characterization of biofilm on the surfaces of implanted or inserted medical devices. Questions as to why biofilms form over medical device surfaces and what triggers biofilm formation are addressed. In the second section, the author discusses biofilm–mediated chronic infections occurred in various organs (eyes, mouth, wounds) and pharmaceutical and drug delivery knowledge gained from research in these area. The third part explores pharmaceutical approaches like lipid–and polymer–based drug delivery carriers for eradicating biofilm on device–related infections. In addition, this section also explores the topic of novel small molecule (like iron and its complexes/metal chelators) and a quorum–sensing inhibitors to control medical biofilm formation.

Spis treści:
Part I. Development and characterization of biofilm.
Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview of Biofilm.
Chapter 2. Rationale for biofilm eradication from modern medical devices.
Chapter 3. Pathogenesis of device–related nosocomial infections.
Chapter 4. Biofilm resistance/tolerance to conventional antimicrobial agents.
Chapter 5. Analytical techniques useful to study biofilm.
5.1. Conventional plate counting.
5.2. Modern methods.
Part 2. Biofilm–related infections in various human organs (Nondevice–related chronic infections).
Chapter 6. Biofilm–related infections in ophthalmology.
Chapter 7. Biofilm–related infections in oral cavity.
Chapter 8. Implications of biofilm formation in chronic wound and in cystic fibrosis.
Part 3. Drug delivery carriers to eradicate biofilm formation on medical devices.
Chapter 9. Strategies for prevention of device–related nosocomial infections.
9.1. Novel drug delivery carriers.
9.2. Lipid–and polymer–based drug delivery carriers.
Chapter 10. Liposomes as drug delivery carriers to biofilms.
10.1. Liposomes to reduce microbial adhesion/colonisation onto medical devices.
10.2. Liposomes as drug delivery carriers to biofilm interfaces.
10.3. Liposomes as drug delivery carriers in intracellular infection.
10.4. Stealth® liposomes.
Chapter 11. Polymer–based antimicrobial delivery carriers.
11.1. Implantable matrices, beads, strut, microparticles, fibrous scaffolds, thermoreversible gels, etc.
11.2. Surface modified polymeric catheter materials.
Conclusion.