All About Biofilms

In the study of MRSA, the word biofilm comes up a lot. This is the problem with the plumbed pedicure units – a biofilm forms on the pipes. Have you ever had to replace the plumbing under your kitchen sink? Surely I am not the only one. The disgusting stuff clinging to the inside of your pipes is – you guessed it – a biofilm. Bacteria clump together and form a slimy coating on anything that will sit still and stay damp, and these bacteria, for some reason, are easier able to resist antibiotic therapy. This is much the problem with prosthetics and MRSA, and biofilm is what they try to battle when using titanium and silver in these prosthetics. Anyway, that is about all I know about biofilm, but Dr. Mark Shirtliff, of the University of Maryland Dental School knows a whole lot more, and has received a $1.25 million grant this month for research into how to stop biofilms from forming. The Montererey Herald has the story, and a whole heckuvalot of information about biofilms – check it out.

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