Measuring antimicrobial effects on biofilm bacteria: From laboratory to field

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Biofilm organisms typically exhibit a high resistance to antimicrobial agents compared to their planktonic counterparts. Chen and Stewart and Xu, et al. showed that reactive biocides such as hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide had limited penetration into a biofilm. Other types of antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, penetrate quickly into the biofilm but may still have limited efficacy compared with application of antibiotics to planktonic cells. Studies, in which cells bearing reporter genes were observed directly by confocal scanning laser microscopy, have shown that a large number of genes are upregulated as planktonic cells adhere to a surface and form biofilms. Such genetic transformations from the planktonic to the sessile state may also play a role in the antimicrobial resistance of biofilms.

Zelver N, Hamilton M, Pitts B, Goeres D, Walker D, Sturman P, Heersink J, "Measuring antimicrobial effects on biofilm bacteria: From laboratory to field," In Doyle, et al (eds) Biofilms: Methods in Enzymology, Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1999, pp.608-628.