Anti-biofilm peptides as a new weapon in antimicrobial warfare.
Microorganisms growing in a biofilm state are very resilient in the face of treatment by many antimicrobial agents. Biofilm infections are a significant problem in chronic and long-term infections, including those colonizing medical devices and implants. Anti-biofilm peptides represent a very promising approach to treat biofilm-related infections and have an extraordinary ability to interfere with various stages of the biofilm growth mode. Anti-biofilm peptides possess promising broad-spectrum activity in killing both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in biofilms, show strong synergy with conventional antibiotics, and act by targeting a universal stringent stress response. Understanding downstream processes at the molecular level will help to develop and design peptides with increased activity. Anti-biofilm peptides represent a novel, exciting approach to treating recalcitrant bacterial infections.
Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Daniel
D
Pletzer
Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Shannon R
SR
Coleman
Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Electronic address: bob@hancocklab.com.
Robert Ew
RE
Hancock
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000382:microbiology; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000502:physiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; C062025:bis(3',5')-cyclic diguanylic acid; D006152:Cyclic GMP