[New strategies for the prevention of foreign body infections]

Foreign body infections continue to present a challenge to modern medicine. New aspects for the prevention of such infections are presented on the basis of modifying medical devices or implant materials (synthetic polymers). Physicochemical treatment of polymer surfaces is a possible tool to create anti-adhesive and thus anti-infective surfaces. Coupling or incorporation of antimicrobial substances to or into polymers is another way to prevent bacterial colonization and subsequently the development of polymer-associated infections.