Scholarly Work - Center for Biofilm Engineering
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/9335
Browse
8 results
Search Results
Item Biofilm maturity studies indicate sharp debridement opens a time-dependent therapeutic window(2010-08) Wolcott, Randall D.; Rumbaugh, Kendra P.; James, Garth A.; Schultz, Gregory; Phillips, P.; Yang, Q.; Watters, C.; Stewart, Philip S.; Dowd, Scot E.Objective: To investigate the hypothesis that newly formed wound biofilms (or bioburdens) are more susceptible to antimicrobial treatment.Method: Four separate and distinct models were performed by four separate biofilm research laboratories to evaluate the resistance of biofilms to antimicrobial treatments over time. These included a drip-flow biofilm model along with a hydrodebridement study, a porcine skin punch biopsy ex vivo model, a mouse chronic wound model and clinical longitudinal debridement study.Results: All four models showed that, within the first 24 hours, the biofilm community was more susceptible to the selected antibiotics, and after maturing for up to 48 hours became increasingly tolerant. In each model, there was at least a 24-hour period in which the biofilms were more resistant to antibiotics. Each of the models utilised showed a significant decrease in the resistance of the biofilm/ burden to gentamicin for up to 24 hours with a confidence interval of at least 95%. The resistance increased in each of the models by 48 hours and reached original resistance levels by 72 hours.Conclusion: These data suggest the principles of biofilm-based wound care, along with the use of serial debridement to continually remove mature biofilm, followed by biofilm wound management strategies, including topical antibiotics while the bioburden is still immature and more susceptible, are valid.Conflict of interest: SED is director of Research and Testing Laboratory, a commercial laboratory that develops molecular methods for diagnosis of wounds and infections and CEO of Pathogenius Laboratories, which is a molecular pathogen diagnostic company with a focus on chronic wounds. RDW is medical director of Southwest Regional Wound Care Center and inventor of biofilm-based wound care principles.Item An in vitro model for the growth and analysis of chronic wound MRSA biofilms(2011-09) Agostinho, Alessandra; Hartman, A.; Lipp, C.; Parker, Albert E.; Stewart, Philip S.; James, Garth A.Aims: To develop an in vitro model (Colony/drip-flow reactor – C/DFR) for the growth and analysis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) biofilms. Methods and Results: Using the C/DFR model, biofilms were grown on the top of polycarbonate filter membranes inoculated with a clinical isolate of MRSA, placed on absorbent pads in the DFR and harvested after 72 h. The biofilms varied from 256 to 308 µm in thickness with a repeatability standard deviation of 0·22. Testing of antimicrobial agents was also performed where C/DFR biofilms were grown in parallel with conventional colony biofilms. A saline solution (control), 1% silver sulfadiazine solution, and 0·25% Dakin’s solution were used to treat the biofilms for 15 min. Microscopic evaluation of biofilm morphology and thickness was conducted. The Dakins solution in both models produced statistically significantly higher log reductions than silver sulfadiazine treatment. Conclusions: The C/DFR biofilms were thick and repeatable and exhibited higher resistance to Dakins solution than the treated colony biofilms. Significance and Impact of the Study: The C/DFR can be used as a tool for examining complex biofilm physiology as well as for performing comparative experiments that test wound care products and novel antimicrobials.Item Staphylococcus aureus biofilm and planktonic cultures differentially impact gene expression, MAPK phosphorylation, and cytokine production in human keratinocytes(2011-06) Secor, Patrick R.; James, Garth A.; Fleckman, Philip; Olerud, John E.; McInnerney, Kathleen; Stewart, Philip S.Background: Many chronic diseases, such as non-healing wounds are characterized by prolonged inflammation and respond poorly to conventional treatment. Bacterial biofilms are a major impediment to wound healing. Persistent infection of the skin allows the formation of complex bacterial communities termed biofilm. Bacteria living in biofilms are phenotypically distinct from their planktonic counterparts and are orders of magnitude more resistant to antibiotics, host immune response, and environmental stress. Staphylococcus aureus is prevalent in cutaneous infections such as chronic wounds and is an important human pathogen.Results: The impact of S. aureus soluble products in biofilm-conditioned medium (BCM) or in planktonicconditioned medium (PCM) on human keratinocytes was investigated. Proteomic analysis of BCM and PCM revealed differential protein compositions with PCM containing several enzymes involved in glycolysis. Global gene expression of keratinocytes exposed to biofilm and planktonic S. aureus was analyzed after four hours of exposure. Gene ontology terms associated with responses to bacteria, inflammation, apoptosis, chemotaxis, and signal transduction were enriched in BCM treated keratinocytes. Several transcripts encoding cytokines were also upregulated by BCM after four hours. ELISA analysis of cytokines confirmed microarray results at four hours and revealed that after 24 hours of exposure, S. aureus biofilm induced sustained low level cytokine production compared to near exponential increases of cytokines in planktonic treated keratinocytes. The reduction in cytokines produced by keratinocytes exposed to biofilm was accompanied by suppressed phosphorylation of MAPKs. Chemical inhibition of MAPKs did not drastically reduce cytokine production in BCM-treated keratinocytes suggesting that the majority of cytokine production is mediated through MAPK-independent mechanisms.Conclusions: Collectively the results indicate that S. aureus biofilms induce a distinct inflammatory response compared to their planktonic counterparts. The differential gene expression and production of inflammatory cytokines by biofilm and planktonic cultures in keratinocytes could have implications for the formation and persistence of chronic wounds. The formation of a biofilm should be considered in any study investigating host response to bacteria.Item Differential effects of planktonic and biofilm MRSA on human fibroblasts(2012-02) Kirker, Kelly R.; James, Garth A.; Fleckman, Philip; Olerud, John E.; Stewart, Philip S.Bacteria colonizing chronic wounds often exist as biofilms, yet their role in chronic wound pathogenesis remains unclear. Staphylococcus aureus biofilms induce apoptosis in dermal keratinocytes, and given that chronic wound biofilms also colonize dermal tissue, it is important to investigate the effects of bacterial biofilms on dermal fibroblasts. The effects of a predominant wound pathogen, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, on normal, human, dermal fibroblasts were examined in vitro. Cell-culture medium was conditioned with equivalent numbers of either planktonic or biofilm methicillin-resistant S. aureus and then fed to fibroblast cultures. Fibroblast response was evaluated using scratch, viability, and apoptosis assays. The results suggested that fibroblasts experience the same fate when exposed to the soluble products of either planktonic or biofilm methicillin-resistant S. aureus, namely limited migration followed by death. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays demonstrated that fibroblast production of cytokines, growth factors, and proteases were differentially affected by planktonic and biofilm-conditioned medium. Planktonic-conditioned medium induced more interleukin-6, interleukin-8, vascular endothelial growth factor, transforming growth factor-β1, heparin-bound epidermal growth factor, matrix metalloproteinase-1, and metalloproteinase-3 production in fibroblasts than the biofilm-conditioned medium. Biofilm-conditioned medium induced more tumor necrosis factor-α production in fibroblasts compared with planktonic-conditioned medium, and suppressed metalloproteinase-3 production compared with controls.Item Time course study of delayed wound healing in a biofilm-challenged diabetic mouse model(2012-05) Zhao, Ge; Usui, Marcia L.; Underwood, Robert A.; Singh, Pradeep K.; James, Garth A.; Stewart, Philip S.; Fleckman, Philip; Olerud, John E.Bacterial biofilm has been shown to play a role in delaying wound healing of chronic wounds, a major medical problem that results in significant health care burden. A reproducible animal model could be very valuable for studying the mechanism and management of chronic wounds. Our previous work showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) biofilm challenge on wounds in diabetic (db/db) mice significantly delayed wound healing. In this wound time course study, we further characterize the bacterial burden, delayed wound healing, and certain aspects of the host inflammatory response in the PAO1 biofilm-challenged db/db mouse model. PAO1 biofilms were transferred onto 2-day-old wounds created on the dorsal surface of db/db mice. Control wounds without biofilm challenge healed by 4 weeks, consistent with previous studies; none of the biofilm-challenged wounds healed by 4 weeks. Of the biofilm-challenged wounds, 64% healed by 6 weeks, and all of the biofilmchallenged wounds healed by 8 weeks. During the wound-healing process, P. aeruginosa was gradually cleared from the wounds while the presence of Staphylococcus aureus (part of the normal mouse skin flora) increased. Scabs from all unhealed wounds contained 107 P. aeruginosa, which was 100-fold higher than the counts isolated from wound beds (i.e., 99% of the P. aeruginosa was in the scab). Histology and genetic analysis showed proliferative epidermis, deficient vascularization, and increased inflammatory cytokines. Hypoxia inducible factor expression increased threefold in 4-week wounds. In summary, our study shows that biofilm-challenged wounds typically heal in approximately 6 weeks, at least 2 weeks longer than nonbiofilm-challenged normal wounds. These data suggest that this delayed wound healing model enables the in vivo study of bacterial biofilm responses to host defenses and the effects of biofilms on host wound healing pathways. It may also be used to test antibiofilm strategies for treating chronic wounds.Item Iron induces bimodal population development by Escherichia coli(2013-01) DePas, W. H.; Hufnagel, D. A.; Lee, J. S.; Blanco, L. P.; Bernstein, Hans C.; Fisher, Steve T.; James, Garth A.; Stewart, Philip S.; Chapman, M. R.Bacterial biofilm formation is a complex developmental process involving cellular differentiation and the formation of intricate 3D structures. Here we demonstrate that exposure to ferric chloride triggers rugose biofilm formation by the uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain UTI89 and by enteric bacteria Citrobacter koseri and Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium. Two unique and separable cellular populations emerge in iron-triggered, rugose biofilms. Bacteria at the air–biofilm interface express high levels of the biofilm regulator csgD, the cellulose activator adrA, and the curli subunit operon csgBAC. Bacteria in the interior of rugose biofilms express low levels of csgD and undetectable levels of matrix components curli and cellulose. Iron activation of rugose biofilms is linked to oxidative stress. Superoxide generation, either through addition of phenazine methosulfate or by deletion of sodA and sodB, stimulates rugose biofilm formation in the absence of high iron. Additionally, overexpression of Mn-superoxide dismutase, which can mitigate iron-derived reactive oxygen stress, decreases biofilm formation in a WT strain upon iron exposure. Not only does reactive oxygen stress promote rugose biofilm formation, but bacteria in the rugose biofilms display increased resistance to H2O2 toxicity. Altogether, we demonstrate that iron and superoxide stress trigger rugose biofilm formation in UTI89. Rugose biofilm development involves the elaboration of two distinct bacterial populations and increased resistance to oxidative stress.Item Biofilms and inflammation in chronic wounds(2013-09) Zhao, Ge; Usui, Marcia L.; Lippman, S. I.; James, Garth A.; Stewart, Philip S.; Fleckman, Philip; Olerud, John E.SIGNIFICANCE: The incidence, cost, morbidity, and mortality associated with non-healing of chronic skin wounds are dramatic. With the increasing numbers of people with obesity, chronic medical conditions, and an increasing life expectancy, the healthcare cost of non-healing ulcers has recently been estimated at $25 billion annually in the United States. The role played by bacterial biofilm in chronic wounds has been emphasized in recent years, particularly in the context of the prolongation of the inflammatory phase of repair.RECENT ADVANCES: Rapid high-throughput genomic approaches have revolutionized the ability to identify and quantify microbial organisms from wounds. Defining bacterial genomes and using genetic approaches to knock out specific bacterial functions, then studying bacterial survival on cutaneous wounds is a promising strategy for understanding which genes are essential for pathogenicity.CRITICAL ISSUES: When an animal sustains a cutaneous wound, understanding mechanisms involved in adaptations by bacteria and adaptations by the host in the struggle for survival is central to development of interventions that favor the host.FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Characterization of microbiomes of clinically well characterized chronic human wounds is now under way. The use of in vivo models of biofilm-infected cutaneous wounds will permit the study of the mechanisms needed for biofilm formation, persistence, and potential synergistic interactions among bacteria. A more complete understanding of bacterial survival mechanisms and how microbes influence host repair mechanisms are likely to provide targets for chronic wound therapy.Item Contribution of Stress Responses to Antibiotic Tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms(2015-04) Stewart, Philip S.; Franklin, Michael J.; Folsom, James P.; Boegli, Laura; James, Garth A.Enhanced tolerance of biofilm-associated bacteria to antibiotic treatments is likely due to a combination of factors, including changes in cell physiology as bacteria adapt to biofilm growth and the inherent physiological heterogeneity of biofilm bacteria. In this study, a transcriptomics approach was used to identify genes differentially expressed during biofilm growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These genes were tested for statistically significant overlap, with independently compiled gene lists corresponding to stress responses and other putative antibiotic-protective mechanisms. Among the gene groups tested were those associated with biofilm response to tobramycin or ciprofloxacin, drug efflux pumps, acyl homoserine lactone quorum sensing, osmotic shock, heat shock, hypoxia stress, and stationary-phase growth. Regulons associated with Anr-mediated hypoxia stress, RpoS-regulated stationary-phase growth, and osmotic stress were significantly enriched in the set of genes induced in the biofilm. Mutant strains deficient in rpoS, relA and spoT, or anr were cultured in biofilms and challenged with ciprofloxacin and tobramycin. When challenged with ciprofloxacin, the mutant strain biofilms had 2.4- to 2.9-log reductions in viable cells compared to a 0.9-log reduction of the wild-type strain. Interestingly, none of the mutants exhibited a statistically significant alteration in tobramycin susceptibility compared to that with the wild-type biofilm. These results are consistent with a model in which multiple genes controlled by overlapping starvation or stress responses contribute to the protection of a P. aeruginosa biofilm from ciprofloxacin. A distinct and as yet undiscovered mechanism protects the biofilm bacteria from tobramycin.