Thinking Out-of-the-Box: Innovative Approaches for the Treatment of Biofilm-Related Infections
A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Pathogens".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 1282
Special Issue Editors
Interests: biofilm-related infections; smart antibiotics; antibiotic-boosting substances; carcinogenesis and biofilms; holistic management of implant-infections
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biofilm-related infections; smart antibiotics; antibiotic-boosting substances; implant alloys; diagnostics; race-for-surface
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Biofilm infection is one of the most frequent and severe complications associated with the use of implanted biomaterials. Implant infections count as nosocomial infections, being a major cause of death and increased morbidity among hospitalized patients. Those infections are difficult to treat, often requiring surgical implant replacement. The mortality rates for periprosthetic joint infections are equivalent to the rates for breast cancer and melanoma. The most commonly cultured microorganisms in implant infections are Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci (CoNS; primarily S. epidermidis), followed by S. aureus and mixed flora. In previous decades, commercially available antibiotics lost their activity against CoNS and several other microorganisms. CoNS of both animal and human origins represent an important reservoir of genetic elements that leads to resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics and other antibiotic classes. One additional mechanism contributing to this phenomenon and negatively affecting the antimicrobial susceptibility of CoNS is the potential of these bacteria to produce biofilms. The biofilm results in antibiotic tolerance by the bacteria because many of them cannot sufficiently penetrate through biofilms. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), and many more are among the biggest threats to the future of humanity, according to the WHO. There is an urgent need to investigate alternatives to antibiotic substances and novel technologies for improving the surface of implants. This Special Issue seeks manuscript submissions that “think out-of-the-box”. It would mean studies dealing with holistic approaches to treat biofilm infections, alternatives to boost antibiotic efficacy, increasing immune defenses against biofilm infections, etc.
Prof. Dr. Débora C. Coraça-Huber
Dr. Christopher Spiegel
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- biofilm
- immune system
- implant
- PJI
- holistic approach
- antibiotic-boosting activity
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