Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

09:26
Antibiotic Efficacy Testing in an Ex vivo Model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms in the Cystic Fibrosis Lung
Published on: January 22, 2021
Methods for removing bacterial biofilms: in vitro study using clinical chronic rhinosinusitis specimens
Martin Desrosiers1, Matthew Myntti, Garth James
1Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal and McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
American Journal of Rhinology
|September 22, 2007
Summary
Hydrodynamic delivery of citric acid/zwitterionic surfactant (CAZS) effectively removed bacterial biofilms in vitro, offering a potential new treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). This method significantly reduced Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa colony-forming units.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Otolaryngology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Bacterial biofilms are implicated in refractory chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).
- Investigating methods to eradicate biofilms formed by Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of different methods for removing bacterial biofilms associated with CRS.
- To compare static and hydrodynamic delivery of citric acid/zwitterionic surfactant (CAZS) and saline.
Main Methods:
- Bacterial isolates from refractory CRS patients were used.
- Treatments included static CAZS, hydrodynamic saline, and hydrodynamic CAZS.
- Efficacy was assessed by colony-forming unit (CFU) counts and confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM).
Main Results:
- All tested treatments significantly reduced bacterial CFU counts (p >= 0.002).
- Hydrodynamic CAZS demonstrated the most significant reduction, achieving 99.9% decrease for both S. aureus and P. aeruginosa.
- CSLM confirmed a reduction in biofilm coverage across all treatment groups.
Conclusions:
- Hydrodynamic delivery of CAZS, a surfactant and sequestering agent, shows promise in disrupting CRS-associated biofilms.
- This approach may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for refractory CRS.
- Further research into hydrodynamic CAZS for CRS treatment is warranted.

