The in vivo biofilm

Thomas Bjarnsholt; Maria Alhede; Morten Alhede; Steffen R Eickhardt-Sørensen; Claus Moser; Michael Kühl; Peter Østrup Jensen; Niels Høiby

doi:10.1016/j.tim.2013.06.002

The in vivo biofilm

Thomas Bjarnsholt, Maria Alhede, Morten Alhede, Steffen R Eickhardt-Sørensen, Claus Moser, Michael Kühl, Peter Østrup Jensen, Niels Høiby

Marine Biology

346 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Bacteria can grow and proliferate either as single, independent cells or organized in aggregates commonly referred to as biofilms. When bacteria succeed in forming a biofilm within the human host, the infection often becomes very resistant to treatment and can develop into a chronic state. Biofilms have been studied for decades using various in vitro models, but it remains debatable whether such in vitro biofilms actually resemble in vivo biofilms in chronic infections. In vivo biofilms share several structural characteristics that differ from most in vitro biofilms. Additionally, the in vivo experimental time span and presence of host defenses differ from chronic infections and the chemical microenvironment of both in vivo and in vitro biofilms is seldom taken into account. In this review, we discuss why the current in vitro models of biofilms might be limited for describing infectious biofilms, and we suggest new strategies for improving this discrepancy.

Original language	English
Journal	Trends in Microbiology
Volume	21
Issue number	9
Pages (from-to)	466-474
Number of pages	9
ISSN	0966-842X
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2013.06.002
Publication status	Published - Sept 2013

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http://www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/abstract/S0966-842X%2813%2900111-X

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title = "The in vivo biofilm",

abstract = "Bacteria can grow and proliferate either as single, independent cells or organized in aggregates commonly referred to as biofilms. When bacteria succeed in forming a biofilm within the human host, the infection often becomes very resistant to treatment and can develop into a chronic state. Biofilms have been studied for decades using various in vitro models, but it remains debatable whether such in vitro biofilms actually resemble in vivo biofilms in chronic infections. In vivo biofilms share several structural characteristics that differ from most in vitro biofilms. Additionally, the in vivo experimental time span and presence of host defenses differ from chronic infections and the chemical microenvironment of both in vivo and in vitro biofilms is seldom taken into account. In this review, we discuss why the current in vitro models of biofilms might be limited for describing infectious biofilms, and we suggest new strategies for improving this discrepancy.",

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T1 - The in vivo biofilm

AU - Bjarnsholt, Thomas

AU - Alhede, Maria

AU - Alhede, Morten

AU - Eickhardt-Sørensen, Steffen R

AU - Moser, Claus

AU - Kühl, Michael

AU - Jensen, Peter Østrup

AU - Høiby, Niels

PY - 2013/9

Y1 - 2013/9

N2 - Bacteria can grow and proliferate either as single, independent cells or organized in aggregates commonly referred to as biofilms. When bacteria succeed in forming a biofilm within the human host, the infection often becomes very resistant to treatment and can develop into a chronic state. Biofilms have been studied for decades using various in vitro models, but it remains debatable whether such in vitro biofilms actually resemble in vivo biofilms in chronic infections. In vivo biofilms share several structural characteristics that differ from most in vitro biofilms. Additionally, the in vivo experimental time span and presence of host defenses differ from chronic infections and the chemical microenvironment of both in vivo and in vitro biofilms is seldom taken into account. In this review, we discuss why the current in vitro models of biofilms might be limited for describing infectious biofilms, and we suggest new strategies for improving this discrepancy.

AB - Bacteria can grow and proliferate either as single, independent cells or organized in aggregates commonly referred to as biofilms. When bacteria succeed in forming a biofilm within the human host, the infection often becomes very resistant to treatment and can develop into a chronic state. Biofilms have been studied for decades using various in vitro models, but it remains debatable whether such in vitro biofilms actually resemble in vivo biofilms in chronic infections. In vivo biofilms share several structural characteristics that differ from most in vitro biofilms. Additionally, the in vivo experimental time span and presence of host defenses differ from chronic infections and the chemical microenvironment of both in vivo and in vitro biofilms is seldom taken into account. In this review, we discuss why the current in vitro models of biofilms might be limited for describing infectious biofilms, and we suggest new strategies for improving this discrepancy.

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DO - 10.1016/j.tim.2013.06.002

M3 - Review

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SN - 0966-842X

VL - 21

SP - 466

EP - 474

JO - Trends in Microbiology

JF - Trends in Microbiology

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The in vivo biofilm

Abstract

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