Handbook Of Bacterial Adhesion

Research on bacterial adhesion and its significance is a major field involving many different aspects of nature and human life, such as marine science, soil and plant ecology, most importantly, the biomedical field. The adhesion ofbacteria to the food industry, and human tissue surfaces and implanted biomaterial surfaces is an important step in the patho genesis of infection. Handbook 0/ Bacterial Adhesion: Principles, Methods, and Applications is an outgrowth of the editors' own quest for information on laboratory techniques for studying bacte rial adhesion to biomaterials, bone, and other tissues and, more importantly, a response to significant needs in the research community. This book is designed to be an experimental guide for biomedical scientists, biomaterials scientists, students, laboratory technicians, or anyone who plans to conduct bacterial adhesion studies. More specifically, it is intended for all those researchers facing the chal lenge of implant infections in such devices as orthopedic prostheses, cardiovascular devices or catheters, cerebrospinal fluid shunts or extradural catheters, thoracic or abdominal catheters, portosystemic shunts or bile stents, urological catheters or stents, plastic surgical implants, oral or maxillofacial implants, contraceptive implants, or even contact lenses. It also covers research methods for the study of bacterial adhesion to tis sues such as teeth, respiratory mucosa, intestinal mucosa, and the urinary tract. In short, it constitutes a handbook for biomechanical and bioengineering researchers and students at all levels.

This book is about the adhesion of bacteria to their human hosts. Although adhesion is essential for maintaining members of the normal microflora in/on their host, it is also the crucial first stage in any infectious disease. It is important, therefore, to fully understand the mechanisms underlying bacterial adhesion so that we may be able to develop methods of maintaining our normal (protective) microflora, and of preventing pathogenic bacteria from initiating an infectious process. These topics are increasingly important because of the growing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and, consequently, the need to develop alternative approaches for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. This book describes the bacterial structures responsible for adhesion and the molecular mechanisms underlying the adhesion process. It also deals with the consequences of adhesion for both the adherent bacterium and the host cell/tissue to which it has adhered.

BACTERIAL ADHESION Molecular and Ecological Diversity Edited byMadilyn Fletcher Over the last twenty years, research has revealed the enormouscomplexity underlying the phenomenon of bacterial adhesion. Theinitial research goal was to understand the mechanism of attachmentand its effects on the bacteria as well as the host. As researchprogressed, however, it became evident that many differentattachment mechanisms exist. These diverse forms of adhesion arethe results of numerous evolutionary pressures, and each may bepart of a larger behavioral strategy. This comprehensive overview details how diversity in habitat andecological requirements has led to enormous variety in adhesivecell components, underlying genetic determinants, and behavioralstrategies. It presents the latest research on adhesion mechanismsand strategies found in diverse environments and microorganisms,including the new environment of biomaterials. Bacterial Adhesion: Molecular and Ecological Diversity examinesadhesion as a strategy for nutrient access and as a phase in thecomplex behavior of life cycle processes. It covers the latestresearch and innovative approaches in the field, including: * Conceptual advances in research on the adhesion of bacteria tooral surfaces * Enhancing colonization in a fluctuating environment * The cellulosome: a cell-surface organelle for the adhesion to anddegradation of cellulose * Pseudomonas aeruginosa--versatile attachment mechanisms * Sensing, response, and adaptation to surfaces * Myxococcus coadhesion and role in the life cycle Edited by a leading authority on bacterial adhesion and featuringcontributions from the field's leading experts, this book speaks toresearchers in all areas of microbiology, biotechnology,environmental technology, and environmental science, as well asurology, immunology, and infectious diseases. Bacterial Adhesion: Molecular and Ecological Diversity is thelatest addition to the Wiley Series in Ecological and AppliedMicrobiology. Recent books in the series include: * Microbial Transformation and Degradation of Toxic OrganicChemicals edited by Lily Y. Young and Carl E. Cerniglia * Wastewater Microbiology by Gabriel Bitton * Environmental Microbiology edited by Ralph Mitchell * Biotechnology in Plant Disease Control edited by Ilan Chet * Antarctic Microbiology edited by E. Imre Friedmann * Effects of Acid Rain on Forest Processes edited by Douglas L.Godbold and Aloys Huttermann

The initial design criteria in the choice of indwelling materials for medical and dental purposes may be pragmatic, and based on the necessary mechanical properties required to fashion a functional device. Orthopedic implants require strong materials for weight-bearing, and articulating surfaces such as joints require durability and resistance to wear. Stents and shunts require flexibility and patency, and sutures require a high tensile strength yet also must be flexible enough for intricate manipulation. As the devices became more sophisticated and developments in materials science provided more options for manufacture, implants are being used more frequently and with longer anticipated lifetimes. Concurrently, the design process increasingly incorporated biocompatibility and comfort into the design criteria. However, with longer lifetimes, the more frequent use of invasive surgical procedures involving indwelling devices and biologically-friendly materials, there has been a rise in the number of incidences of device-related infection. Urinary catheters have been estimated to account for 30% of all nosocomial infections [1]. Between 66 and 88% of these occur after urinary catheterization [2]. It is also reported that almost 100% of catheterized patients develop an infection in an openly draining indwelling catheter which has been in place for four days or more [2]. For some procedures, such as orthopedic joint arthroplasties, the diagnosed surgical site infection rates are relatively low (between 1% and 2%; [3]); however, the increasing number of patients undergoing joint-replacement surgery translates to large numbers of patients afflicted with the consequences of complicating infections per year. Furthermore, infection of artificial joints can be devastating, since oral or IV antibiotic therapy frequently fails to resolve the infection, with the only remaining course of action being surgical debridement or partial or total revision. These two examples, the first with very high numbers of patients but of lesser severity in terms of impact to the individual, and the second, low numbers but severe patient impact, reflect the incentive to pursue a third design criteria—that of infection resistance—into materials and devices [4]. In the following sections we will discuss the role of bacterial biofilms in infection, and the growing literature highlighting biofilms as an important cause of device-related infection.

Handbook of Antimicrobial Coatings is the first comprehensive work on the developments being made in the emerging field of antimicrobial coatings. Crucial aspects associated with coating research are presented in the form of individual chapters. Particular close attention has been given to essential aspects necessary to understand the properties of novel materials. The book introduces the reader to progress being made in the field, followed by an outline of applications in different areas. Various methods and techniques of synthesis and characterization are detailed as individual chapters. Chapters provide insight into the ongoing research, current trends and technical challenges in this rapidly progressing field. The covered topics were chosen so that they can be easily understood by new scholars as well as advanced learners. No book has been written on this topic thus far with so much crucial information for materials scientists, engineers and technologists. Offers the first comprehensive work on developments being made in the emerging field of antimicrobial coatings Features updates written by leading experts in the field of anti-microbial coatings Includes discussions of coatings for novel materials Provides various methods and techniques of synthesis and characterization detailed in individual chapters