title: From in vitro to in vivo Models of Bacterial Biofilm-Related Infections.
abstract: The influence of microorganisms growing as sessile communities in a large number of human infections has been extensively studied and recognized for 30-40 years, therefore warranting intense scientific and medical research. Nonetheless, mimicking the biofilm-life style of bacteria and biofilm-related infections has been an arduous task. Models used to study biofilms range from simple in vitro to complex in vivo models of tissues or device-related infections. These different models have progressively contributed to the current knowledge of biofilm physiology within the host context. While far from a complete understanding of the multiple elements controlling the dynamic interactions between the host and biofilms, we are nowadays witnessing the emergence of promising preventive or curative strategies to fight biofilm-related infections. This review undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the literature from a historic perspective commenting on the contribution of the different models and discussing future venues and new approaches that can be merged with more traditional techniques in order to model biofilm-infections and efficiently fight them.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Génétique des Biofilms, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France. david.lebeaux@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lebeaux
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Génétique des Biofilms, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France. ashwini.chauhan@pasteur.fr.
authors.forename: Ashwini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Génétique des Biofilms, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France. olaya.rendueles@env.ethz.ch.
authors.forename: Olaya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rendueles
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Génétique des Biofilms, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France. christophe.beloin@pasteur.fr.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beloin