title: Thermal mitigation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms.
abstract: Bacterial biofilms infect 2-4% of medical devices upon implantation, resulting in multiple surgeries and increased recovery time due to the very great increase in antibiotic resistance in the biofilm phenotype. This work investigates the feasibility of thermal mitigation of biofilms at physiologically accessible temperatures. Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms were cultured to high bacterial density (1.7 × 10(9) CFU cm(-2)) and subjected to thermal shocks ranging from 50°C to 80°C for durations of 1-30 min. The decrease in viable bacteria was closely correlated with an Arrhenius temperature dependence and Weibull-style time dependence, demonstrating up to six orders of magnitude reduction in bacterial load. The bacterial load for films with more conventional initial bacterial densities dropped below quantifiable levels, indicating thermal mitigation as a viable approach to biofilm control.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, 4133 Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts & Sciences , University of Iowa , Iowa City , IA , USA.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: O'Toole
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, 4133 Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts & Sciences , University of Iowa , Iowa City , IA , USA.
authors.forename: Erica B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Ricker
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, 4133 Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts & Sciences , University of Iowa , Iowa City , IA , USA.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nuxoll
mesh_terms: D058491:Bacterial Load; D018441:Biofilms; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D018869:Heat-Shock Response / Q000502:physiology*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000382:microbiology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013696:Temperature
keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; biofilm; heat shock; implanted medical device; infection