Catheter-Related Infections - Its All About Biofilm.docVIP

? From Topics in Advanced Practice Nursing eJournal Articles Catheter-Related Infections: Its All About Biofilm Marcia A. Ryder, PhD, MS, RN Published: 08/18/2005 Abstract and Introduction Abstract Almost all micro-organisms subsist in elaborate colonies that are embedded in biofilms of self-produced exopolymer matrices. The biofilm allows the micro-organisms to adhere to any surface, living or nonliving. The adaptive and genetic changes of the micro-organisms within the biofilm make them resistant to all known antimicrobial agents. Thus, the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies used to fight acute infections are not effective in eradicating medical device biofilm-related infections or chronic biofilm diseases. Today, vascular catheter-related bloodstream infections are the most serious and costly healthcare-associated infections. The purpose of this article is to describe the biofilm form of life, the mechanisms of resistance to current forms of treatment, and the clinical implications for effective strategies to diagnose and treat catheter-related bloodstream infections. Introduction Bacteria first appeared on earth about 3.6 billion years ago, long before the appearance of Homo sapiens around 100,000 years ago.[1] Micro-organisms have developed extraordinary survival mechanisms that allow them to live in almost any environment on the planet. Man was unaware of the existence of bacteria until the 17th century, when Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) invented a rudimentary compound microscope. Van Leeuwenhoek was the first person to visualize, graphically illustrate, and label animalcules (bacteria) that he found in plaque scraped from his own teeth. It wasnt until almost 2 centuries later, in 1884, that Robert Koch described a method to identify a specific micro-organism as a cause of disease.[2] This led to the establishment of pure culture techniques that today remain the cornerstone of diagnostic and prescriptive antibiotic therapy. Microbiologists usually s