title: Microbial interactions with catheter material.
abstract: The use of central venous catheters to deliver parenteral nutrition therapy is often complicated by infection. The original source of these infections has been debated but it appears that organisms colonizing the skin or those contaminating the catheter hub are most often responsible. Before forming a biofilm, an organism must first successfully attach to a surface. To do this, microbes have evolved strategies that allow them to adhere to surfaces and evade forces that would favor their detachment. Once a biofilm is formed on a catheter, the organisms are relatively safe from a host immune response and antibiotics. In this review, what is known about these interactions is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Sherertz
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D006801:Humans; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology