Discovery, development and exploitation of steady-state biofilms

Early in vitro biofilm models go back even beyond the invention of the word 'biofilm'. In the dental
field, biofilms were simply known as dental plaque and many of the first in vitro models were termed
'artificial mouth microcosm plaques'. The purpose of this review is to highlight important elements
of research from over the years regarding in vitro biofilm models, including data from our own
laboratories. This helps us to interpret the models and point the way to the future development of
biofilm testing. Many hypotheses regarding biofilm phenomena, particularly ecology, metabolism and
physiology of volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) and volatile organic compound (VOC) production could
potentially be supported or disproved. In this way, the methods we use for screening biologically
active agents including inhibitors, biocides and antimicrobial compounds in general can be improved.
Hopefully, any lessons learnt in the past may be of value for the future. In ...

Source: Journal of Breath Research - October 4, 2020 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: John Greenman, Keith Hewett and Saliha Saad Source Type: research