PURPOSE OF REVIEW To review the evidence for the presence of bacterial biofilms in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and mechanisms by which they may contribute to the chronic inflammation characteristic of this disease. Lastly, to provide an overview of the current and potential future treatments for bacterial biofilms in CRS. RECENT FINDINGS Advances in the techniques for identifying biofilms ha...

Marine environments are sinks for many contaminants, including petroleum-based plastic waste. Bioplastics, or biodegradable plastics derived from renewable resources, considered promising alternatives as numerous studies have demonstrated their degradation in marine environments. However, rates of vary and microbial consortia responsible its not well characterized. Previous research by our grou...

Biofilms are surface-attached microbial communities that have complex structures and produce significant spatial heterogeneities. Biofilm development is strongly regulated by the surrounding flow and nutritional environment. Biofilm growth also increases the heterogeneity of the local microenvironment by generating complex flow fields and solute transport patterns. To investigate the developmen...

Biofilm communities in the euphotic zone of aquatic habitats comprise photoautotrophic microorganisms, such as diatoms, green algae and cyanobacteria, which produce the organic carbon that fuels the life of a heterotrophic contingent of microorganisms, mostly bacteria. Such photoautotrophic-heterotrophic mixed-species biofilms have received little attention in biofilm research due to a lack of ...

Xylitol has been claimed to reduce mutans streptococci (MS) in dental plaque by energy-consuming futile metabolic cycles. This study aimed to investigate the effects of xylitol on MS in an in vitro 6-species oral biofilm model. Each multispecies biofilm contained either a laboratory reference strain, a fresh isolate, a xylitol-sensitive or a xylitol-resistant strain of Streptococcus mutans or S...

Since the dawn of civilization, it has been understood that pathogenic microorganisms cause infectious conditions in humans, which at times, may prove fatal. Among the different virulent properties of microorganisms is their ability to form biofilms, which has been directly related to the development of chronic infections with increased disease severity. A problem in the elimination of such com...

In order to assess the applicability of using microelectrodes as a tool for inhibition tests, temporal and spatial inhibitory effects of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) on O(2) respiration and nitrification activities in municipal wastewater biofilms were investigated using microelectrodes for O(2) and NH(4)(+). The time-course microelectrode measurements demonstrated that 2-CP inhibited O(2) respiration...

Microbial biofilms are composed of a hydrated matrix of biopolymers including polypeptides, polysaccharides and nucleic acids and act as a protective barrier and microenvironment for the inhabiting microbes. While studying marine biofilms, we observed that supernatant produced by a marine isolate of Bacillus licheniformis was capable of dispersing bacterial biofilms. We investigated the source ...

Bacterial biofilms in the colon alter the host tissue microenvironment. A role for biofilms in colon cancer metabolism has been suggested but to date has not been evaluated. Using metabolomics, we investigated the metabolic influence that microbial biofilms have on colon tissues and the related occurrence of cancer. Patient-matched colon cancers and histologically normal tissues, with or withou...