Abstract
Standardization of methodology and interpretation has proved essential to scientific progress in studies of the activity of antimicrobial agents against planktonic bacteria. Current studies of antimicrobial activity against biofilm bacteria lack standardization of methodology. The principles applied to standardization of methods for planktonic bacteria can serve as a template in developing standards for studying biofilm bacteria. Such standards are essential to allow meaningful comparison between published studies.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allison DG, Maria-Litran T & Gilbert P (2000) Antimicrobial resistance of biofilms. In: Evans LV (Ed) Biofilms: Recent Advances in Their Study and Control. (pp 149–166) Harwood Academic Publishers, Amsterdam
Anwar H & Costerton JW (1990) Enhanced activity of combination of tobramycin and piperacillin for eradication of sessile biofilm cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 34(9): 1666–1671
Anwar H, Dasgupta M, Lam K & Costerton JW (1989) Tobramycin resistance of mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm grown under iron limitation. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 24(5): 647–655
Brown MR & Barker J (1999) Unexplored reservoirs of pathogenic bacteria: Protozoa and biofilms. Trends Microbiol. 7(1): 46–50
Brown MR & Williams P (1985) The influence of environment on envelope properties affecting survival of bacteria in infections. Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 39: 527–556
Crump JA, Barrett TJ Nelson JT & Angulo FJ (2003) Reevaluating fluoroquinolone breakpoints for Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi and for non-Typhi salmonellae. Clin. Infectious Dis. 37: 75–81
Curtin J, Cormican M, Fleming G, Keelehan J & Colleran E (2003) Linezolid compared with eperezolid, vancomycin and gentamicin in an in vitro model of “antimicrobial lock ” Therapy for Staphylococcus epidermidis central venous catheter-related biofilm infections. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47(10): 3145–3148
Dagostino L, Goodman AE & Marshall KC (1991) Physiological responses induced in bacteria adhering to surfaces. Biofouling 4: 113–119
Das JR, Bhakoo M, Jones MV & Gilbert P (1998) Changes in the biocide susceptibility of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli cells associated with rapid attachment to plastic surfaces. J. Appl. Microbiol. 84(5): 852–858
Ellwood DC & Tempest DW (1972) Effects of environment on bacterial wall content and composition. Adv. Microbiol. Physiol. 7: 83–117
Fujiwara S, Miyake Y, Usui T & Suginaka H (1998) Effect of adherence on antimicrobial susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, and Proteus mirabilis. Hiroshima J. Med. Sci. 47(1): 1–5
Gander S, Hayward K & Finch R (2002) An investigation of the antimicrobial effects of linezolid on bacterial biofilms utilizing an in vitro pharmacokinetic model. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 49(2): 301–308
George AM & Levy SB (1983) Amplifiable resistance to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and other antibiotics in Escherichia coli: Involvement of a non-plasmid-determined efflux of tetracycline. J. Bacteriol. 155(2): 531–540
Hengge-Aronis R (1996) Regulation of gene expression during entry into stationary phase. In: Lin EC (Ed) Escherichia coli and Salmonella: Cellular and Molecular Biology. (pp. 1497–1512) ASM Press, Washington D.C.
Ma D, Cook DN, Alberti M, Pon NG, Nikaido H & Hearst JE (1993) Molecular cloning and characterization of acrA and acrE genes of Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 175(19): 6299–6313
Maira-Litran T, Allison DG & Gilbert P (2000) Expression of the multiple antibiotic resistance operon (mar) during growth of Escherichia coli as a biofilm. J. Appl. Microb. 88(2): 243–247
McLeod GI & Spector MP (1996) Starvation and stationary-phase-induced resistance to the antimicrobial peptide polymyxin B in Salmonella typhimurium is RpoS (σ S) independent and occurs through both phoP-dependent and-independent pathways. J. Bacteriol. 178(13): 3683–3688
Monzon M, Oteiza C, Leiva J, Lamata M & Amorena B (2002) Biofilm testing of Staphylococcus epidermidis clinical isolates: Low performance of vancomycin in relation to other antibiotics. Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 44(4): 319–324
NCCLS (1999) National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Methods for determining bactericidal activity of antimicrobial agents; Approved Guideline M26A, NCCLS, 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1400, Wayne Pennsylvania 19087–1898 USA
NCCLS (2000) National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Methods for dilution antimicrobial susceptibility tests for bacteria that grow aerobically. Approved Standard-Fifth Edition M7-A5, NCCLS, 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1400, Wayne Pennsylvania 19087–1898 USA
NCCLS (2003) National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Performance standards for antimicrobial disk susceptibility tests; Approved Standard-Eight Edition M2-A8, NCCLS, 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1400, Wayne Pennsylvania 19087–1898 USA
Pickering SA, Bayston R & Scammell BE (2003) Electromagnetic augmentation of antibiotic efficacy in infection of orthopaedic implants. J. Bone. Joint. Surg. Br. 85(4): 588593
Vroom JM, De Grauw KJ, Gerritsen HC, Bradshaw DJ, Marsh PD, Watson GK, Birmingham JJ & Allison C (1999) Depth penetration and detection of pH gradients in biofilms by two-photon excitation microscopy. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65(8): 3502–3511
Woods GL & Washington JA (1996) In vitro testing of antimicrobial agents. In: Henry JB (Ed) Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods 19th edn. (pp 1170–1182) W.B. Saunders, Philadephia
Zhang TC & Bishop PL (1996) Evaluation of substrate and pH effects in a nitrifying biofilm. Water Environ. Res. 68: 1107–1115
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Curtin, J., Cormican, M. Measuring Antimicrobial Activity Against Biofilm Bacteria. Re/Views in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology 2, 285–291 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:RESB.0000040457.50864.d6
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:RESB.0000040457.50864.d6