Antibiofilm Strategies

Dr Katharina Richter is an enthusiastic biomedical scientist, dedicated to improve therapies against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and biofilms. She has global work and research stints in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia. A trained pharmacist she completed her PhD in medicine & applied microbiology in 2017 and started her own research group in 2019 at the University of Adelaide, Australia. Her group has two priorities: i) developing new treatments against biofilm infections and bringing them from bench to bedside, and ii) improving health literacy of the society by effective science communication through public speaking, science outreach activities and STEM workshops at schools. Katharina collaborates with scientists, clinicians and industry partners to ensure a real life impact of her work. Dr Kasper Kragh obtained his Ph.D. in Health and Medical Sciences from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He has worked for over ten years at the Costerton Biofilm Center with a wide range of aspects concerning bacterial biofilm. During his scientific career, Kasper has focused his attention on the use of microscopy in biofilm research and how the phenotype of non-attached biofilm aggregates is involved and influences both pathogenesis and in vitro systems. The study of the mechanisms behind the chronic infectious state of biofilms, in in vivo-like in vitro models and direct infections, has been a red thread throughout his career.

Part 1: Introduction.- Chapter 1: Preface: Biofilms 101.- Chapter 2: Antimicrobial and innate immune tolerance mechanisms in biofilms.- Chapter 3: Antibiotic resistance development in bacterial biofilms.- Part 2: Biofilm Prevention & Treatment.- Chapter 4: Prevention of biofilms in catheter-associated urinary tract infections.- Chapter 5: Probiotics' action against biofilms.- Chapter 6: Clinical translation of biofilm dispersal agents.- Chapter 7: Chemical regulation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation as a potential treatment for persistent infections.- Chapter 8: Bacteriophages for the treatment of biofilm-associated infections.- Chapter 9: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment may advance the outcome of antibiotic treatment of biofilm infections.- Chapter 10: Cold plasma therapy as a physical antibiofilm approach.- Chapter 11: Antibodies against biofilms: Mechanisms and applications.- Chapter 12: Host defense peptides: Multifront attack on biofilms.- Chapter 13: Learning from nature: Naturally derived remedies.- Chapter 14: Historical medical remedies as potential anti-biofilm approaches: Can we look back to move forward?.- Part 3: Biofilm Control.- Chapter 15: The action of phytochemicals in the control of pathogenic biofilms.- Chapter 16: Current and future applications to control polymicrobial biofilms associated with oral disease.- Chapter 17: Clinical management of fungal biofilm infections.- Chapter 18: Metal-based nanoparticles for biofilm treatment and infection control: From basic research to clinical translation.- Chapter 19: Nitric oxide-mediated dispersal as an adjunctive strategy for the control of biofilm-associated infection.- Chapter 20: Biofouling control in water filtration systems.- Chapter 21: Biofilm in equine and other veterinary wounds.

"This book is a state-of-the-science exploration of how to prevent, treat, or control biofilms across a range of environments, including medical equipment, surfaces, and a diversity of animal hosts. The editors are to be commended on the background, basis, and breadth of this collection of chapters, as well as for recruiting excellent teams to pen them." (Fabrizio Spagnolo, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 98 (3), September, 2023)

“This book is a state-of-the-science exploration of how to prevent, treat, or control biofilms across a range of environments, including medical equipment, surfaces, and a diversity of animal hosts. The editors are to be commended on the background, basis, and breadth of this collection of chapters, as well as for recruiting excellent teams to pen them.” (Fabrizio Spagnolo, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 98 (3), September, 2023)