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The Functional Resistance of Biofilms

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Antimicrobial Drug Resistance

Abstract

Antimicrobial drug tolerance/resistance exhibited by cells embedded in biofilm appears to be multifactorial, involving mechanisms similar to conventional planktonic antimicrobial drug resistance due to spontaneous mutations, secondary acquisition of drug resistance determinants from external sources through mobile genetic elements such as plasmids or transposons, and increased efflux pump activity governed by biofilm specific transcriptional regulators. In addition, mechanisms specific to the biofilm lifestyle of the organism can also confer unprecedented antimicrobial drug tolerance (otherwise known as resistance to the killing action of the antibiotic) even at high concentrations. Microbial biofilms have emerged as a significant clinical problem in the treatment and management of many infectious diseases over the last two decades. There are several reasons for the steady increase in the frequency of microbial biofilm being recognized in clinical settings, especially the increased use of life-saving or quality of life improving artificial devices. The existence of microbial biofilms impacts the treatment and care of patients suffering from infectious diseases in numerous ways. This chapter describes the known mechanisms of high level drug tolerance/resistance exhibited by biofilm and its implications in areas affecting the treatment of infectious diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA

    Elias K. Manavathu

  2. Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA

    Jose A. Vazquez

Authors
  1. Elias K. Manavathu
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  2. Jose A. Vazquez
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Correspondence to Jose A. Vazquez .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Treiber Therapeutics, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Douglas L. Mayers

  2. Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA

    Jack D. Sobel

  3. Centre de recherche en Infectiologie, University of Laval, Quebec City, Canada

    Marc Ouellette

  4. Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Keith S. Kaye

  5. Infection Control and Prevention Unit of Infectious Diseases, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Dror Marchaim

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Manavathu, E.K., Vazquez, J.A. (2017). The Functional Resistance of Biofilms. In: Mayers, D., Sobel, J., Ouellette, M., Kaye, K., Marchaim, D. (eds) Antimicrobial Drug Resistance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46718-4_11

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