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Establishing the Minimal Bactericidal Concentration of an Antimicrobial Agent for Planktonic Cells (MBC-P) and Biofilm Cells (MBC-B)
Published on: January 2, 2014
Modeling biofilm antimicrobial resistance
M G Dodds1, K J Grobe, P S Stewart
1Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Department of Chemical Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA.
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
|April 4, 2000
Summary
A new computer model simulates how biofilms resist antimicrobial agents. Different resistance mechanisms, like penetration limits and cell states, were tested, revealing that the specific mechanism depends on the disinfectant and biofilm conditions.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Computational Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Biofilms exhibit increased resistance to antimicrobial agents compared to planktonic cells.
- Understanding biofilm resistance mechanisms is crucial for effective disinfection strategies.
- Existing models often fail to capture the complexity of biofilm resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a computer model integrating multiple biofilm resistance mechanisms.
- To identify which resistance mechanisms are dominant for specific antimicrobial agents and biofilm conditions.
- To provide a tool for diagnosing biofilm resistance mechanisms from experimental data.
Main Methods:
- Development of mathematical models for retarded penetration (stoichiometric reaction), incomplete penetration (catalytic reaction), and phenotypic resistance.
- Implementation of these models in the MATLAB simulation package.
- Fitting experimental data from Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm disinfection to the developed models.
Main Results:
- No single model adequately described all experimental data sets.
- Tobramycin killing of a 2-day old biofilm was best explained by the physiological limitation model.
- Hypochlorite killing was best described by the stoichiometric transport model, while hydrogen peroxide killing was best simulated by the catalytic transport model.
Conclusions:
- Multiple biofilm resistance mechanisms can coexist within the same species.
- The dominant resistance mechanism is influenced by biofilm age, antimicrobial agent, and biofilm thickness.
- The developed models can aid in diagnosing biofilm resistance mechanisms from experimental data.
