Targeting Bacterial Biofilms Using Probiotics and Medicinal Plant Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion) Extract: A Comparative Study.
Biofilms are a significant threat to public health as they form on medical devices, wastewater pipes, human tissue, and stagnant water bodies. The primary reason biofilms are hard to combat is the bacterial interactions that take place within the biofilm through quorum sensing (QS), a form of cell-to-cell communication that plays a crucial role in the formation of biofilms. The QS controls biofilm formation to increase cooperation and stabilize the biofilm and increased interactions between the bacterial cells, make the biofilms harder to destroy. The aggregates of cells in the biofilm are not susceptible to drugs. The slow dividing cells are less susceptible to antibiotics.
Biofilms are a significant threat to public health. Biofilms can form on surfaces such as medical devices, wastewater pipes, human tissue, and stagnant water bodies. The properties of the bacteria in the biofilm influence their strength of attachment and how strong the biofilm is. The primary reason biofilms are hard to combat the bacterial interactions that take place within the biofilm. Bacteria survive by forming biofilms on surfaces. The structured formation of bacteria imparts resistance to chemicals, phagocytosis, and antibiotics to the bacteria in the biofilm. The bacteria grow in structured communities or biofilms, and an extracellular matrix surrounds the cell conglomerates. Quorum sensing (QS) is a form of cell-to-cell communication that plays a crucial role in the formation of biofilms. Many bacteria can regulate their activities and physiological processes through QS.
Public Health Open J. 2020; 5(2): 33-37. doi: 10.17140/PHOJ-5-145
