Antibiofilm Agents: From Diagnosis to Treatment and Prevention (Springer Series on Biofilms Book 8)

This book provides a survey of recent advances in the development of antibiofilm agents for clinical and environmental applications. The fact that microbes exist in structured communities called biofilms has slowly become accepted within the medical community. We now know that over 80% of all infectious diseases are biofilm-related; however, significant challenges still lie in our ability to diagnose and treat these extremely recalcitrant infections. Written by experts from around the globe, this book offers a valuable resource for medical professionals seeking to treat biofilm-related disease, academic and industry researchers interested in drug discovery and instructors who teach courses on microbial pathogenesis and medical microbiology. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Biofilms in Disease....Pages 3-13 The Use of DNA Methods to Characterize Biofilm Infection....Pages 15-30 Imaging Biofilms in Tissue Specimens....Pages 31-44 Mechanisms of Drug Resistance in Fungi and Their Significance in Biofilms....Pages 45-65 Horizontal Gene Transfer in Planktonic and Biofilm Modes....Pages 67-95 The Role of Quorum Sensing in Biofilm Development....Pages 97-113 Front Matter....Pages 115-115 Current and Emergent Control Strategies for Medical Biofilms....Pages 117-159 The Effect of Plasmids and Other Biomolecules on the Effectiveness of Antibiofilm Agents....Pages 161-174 Antimicrobial Coatings to Prevent Biofilm Formation on Medical Devices....Pages 175-204 Medicinal Plants and Phytocompounds: A Potential Source of Novel Antibiofilm Agents....Pages 205-232 Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Formation and Inhibition....Pages 233-255 Novel Targets for Treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms....Pages 257-272 Inhibition of Fungal Biofilms....Pages 273-289 Biofilm Control Strategies in Dental Health....Pages 291-326 Control of Polymicrobial Biofilms: Recent Trends....Pages 327-358 Antibiofilm Strategies in the Food Industry....Pages 359-381 Front Matter....Pages 383-383 Biofilm Inhibition by Nanoparticles....Pages 385-406 Drug Delivery Systems That Eradicate and/or Prevent Biofilm Formation....Pages 407-424 Eradication of Wound Biofilms by Electrical Stimulation....Pages 425-447 The Effects of Photodynamic Therapy in Oral Biofilms....Pages 449-468 Front Matter....Pages 383-383 Clinical and Regulatory Development of Antibiofilm Drugs: The Need, the Potential, and the Challenges....Pages 469-486 Back Matter....Pages 487-497