title: Antibiotic-induced biofilm formation.
abstract: Surface-attached colonies of bacteria known as biofilms play a major role in the pathogenesis of device-related infections. Biofilm colonies are notorious for their resistance to suprainhibitory concentrations of antibiotics. Numerous studies have shown that subminimal inhibitory concentrations of some antibiotics can act as agonists of bacterial biofilm formation in vitro, a process that may have clinical relevance. This article reviews studies demonstrating that low-dose antibiotics induce bacterial biofilm formation. These studies have provided important information about the regulation of biofilm formation and the signaling pathways involved in global gene regulation in response to cell stressors. It is still unclear whether antibiotic-induced biofilm formation contributes to the inconsistent success of antimicrobial therapy for device infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Biology, New Jersey Dental School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103, USA. kaplanjb@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents