From in vitro to in vivo Models of Bacterial Biofilm-Related Infections

• Published in: Pathogens 2013-05, Vol.2 (2), p.288-356
• Main Authors: Lebeaux, David, Chauhan, Ashwini, Rendueles, Olaya, Beloin, Christophe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacteriology; biofilm, in vitro models; Biofilms; device-related biofilm models; Life Sciences; Medical research; Microbiology and Parasitology; Microorganisms; Review; surrogate non-mammalian models; tissue-associated biofilm models
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens2020288

The influence of microorganisms growing as sessile communities in a large number of human infections has been extensively studied and recognized for 30-40 years, therefore warranting intense scientific and medical research. Nonetheless, mimicking the biofilm-life style of bacteria and biofilm-related infections has been an arduous task. Models used to study biofilms range from simple in vitro to complex in vivo models of tissues or device-related infections. These different models have progressively contributed to the current knowledge of biofilm physiology within the host context. While far from a complete understanding of the multiple elements controlling the dynamic interactions between the host and biofilms, we are nowadays witnessing the emergence of promising preventive or curative strategies to fight biofilm-related infections. This review undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the literature from a historic perspective commenting on the contribution of the different models and discussing future venues and new approaches that can be merged with more traditional techniques in order to model biofilm-infections and efficiently fight them.