Public Health Threats Posed by Biofilms and Innovative Strategies for their Control.

Abstract

Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that adhere to surfaces within a self-produced protective matrix. The structural complexity of biofilms and their inherent resistance to conventional antimicrobial treatments make them a significant public health challenge. These microbial communities, embedded within a self-produced extracellular matrix, are associated with numerous persistent infections, especially those occurring in healthcare settings where they colonize medical devices and chronic wounds. The effects of biofilms go beyond healthcare environments and persist in water treatment facilities, food processing plants, and nature, in which biofilms aid in pollution and transmission of disease.  This review article discusses multifaceted public health complications related to biofilms and the search for existing control strategies, the process of biofilm formation, mechanisms of persistence, and limitations of traditional antimicrobial approaches. Additionally, this article explores new innovative solutions, such as bacteriophage therapy, matrix-degrading enzymes, and quorum sensing inhibitors. The potential of a combination of antimicrobial agents with biofilm-disrupting compounds for the improvement of efficacy is also paid special attention.  This review seeks to contribute to these ongoing efforts by presenting an overview of biofilm biology and assessing the efficacy of a variety of possible control strategies. Subsequently, the insights derived from this study may be used to inform future research directions and aid in the development of more effective interventions for biofilm-associated infections and contamination in various settings.