Anti-biofilm peptides as a new weapon in antimicrobial warfare.

Anti-biofilm peptides as a new weapon in antimicrobial warfare. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2016 Jun 15;33:35-40 Authors: Pletzer D, Coleman SR, Hancock RE Abstract 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. PMID: 27318321 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Opinion in Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Curr Opin Microbiol Source Type: research