细菌生物膜研究技术

Model systems for bacterial biofilm research

细菌生物膜是细菌生长过程中为适应生存环境而在固体表面上生长的一种与游走态细胞相对应的存在形式。只要条件允许,绝大多数细菌都可以形成生物膜。一旦形成了生物膜细菌就具有极强的耐药性,在医疗、食品、工业、军事等诸多领域给人类社会带来了严重的危害,造成巨大的经济损失。因此,细菌生物膜已成为全球关注的重大难题,也是目前科学界研究的前沿和热点。本文结合细菌生物膜研究技术的最新进展,重点介绍了几种常用生物膜发生装置及检测量化技术,并对其原理及优缺点进行了讨论。

Contrast to planktonic cells, biofilms arc complex communities of microorganisms that develop on biotic or abiotic surfaces. Most of bacteria can form biofilms under proper conditions. Once biofilm form, the inner bacteria cells often exhibit reduced antibiotic susceptibility than their free-floating counterparts, so conventional methods of killing bacteria, such as antibiotics and disinfections arc often ineffective with them. Biofilms may cause huge economic loss in equipment damage, product contamination, energy losses and medical infections. Therefore, bacterial biofilm is evolving as a focal problem and an active area of research. As a relatively new area, the progress of biofilm science depends on the development of a satisfactory set of methods. But the classic methods to study planktonic bacteria cannot fulfill the biofilm research, one for which there are few widely accepted methodological standards. Even though biofilms arc complicated physical-chemical-biological systems, experience demonstrates that accessible research methods are feasible. In this paper, the theories, principles, merits and limitations of some methods currently used in bacterial biofilm rcsearches, involving artificial biofilm forming and biofilmt, were discussed