Biofilm-forming bacteria

Biofilm-forming bacteria are microorganisms that transition from a planktonic state to a sessile community encased within a self-produced extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix (StatPearls, 2023). This matrix, composed of polysaccharides, proteins, and extracellular DNA, provides a robust physical barrier that protects the bacteria from environmental stressors, host immune cells, and antibiotic penetration (Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2022). Biofilms are a primary driver of chronic and healthcare-associated infections, particularly those involving prosthetic joints, catheters, and the respiratory tracts of patients with cystic fibrosis (NIH, 2021). Pharmacological strategies to combat these bacteria include the use of matrix-degrading enzymes, quorum-sensing inhibitors to disrupt communication, and high-concentration antibiotic regimens (Frontiers in Microbiology, 2018). Because biofilm-forming bacteria refers to a complex multicellular phenotype across various species rather than a single molecular entity, it is considered a therapeutic category rather than a specific molecular target.

Other names

Biofilm-producing bacteriaSessile bacteriaMicrobial biofilmsSlime-producing bacteria

Drugs targeting biofilm-forming bacteria act by inhibiting initial surface attachment, disrupting quorum-sensing communication (cell-to-cell signaling), degrading the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix, or penetrating the metabolic dormancy of sessile cells (Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2015).