The role of biofilm infection in urology.
In the process of endourological development a great variety of foreign bodies have been invented besides urinary catheters on which biofilm can be formed. Bacteria in the biofilm are less sensible to antibiotics. An additional problem of medical biomaterials in the urinary tract environment is the development of encrustation and consecutive obstruction. In this review, we tried to sum up the conditions where biofilm formation has a great impact on the development or maintenance of urological infections and on treatment success. Modification of the biomaterial surface seems to be the most promising prevention strategy for bacterial biofilms. Easier methods for diagnosing and quantifying biofilm infection, to develop more specific antimicrobial agents and ideal device surfaces would surely help the fight against biofilm formation.
Tenke
P
P
Department of Urology, Jahn Ferenc South-Pest Hospital, Köves utca 2-4, 1204 Budapest, Hungary. tenkep@chello.hu
Kovacs
B
B
Jäckel
M
M
Nagy
E
E
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents