Biofilm and Urogenital Infections

Abstract

Bacterial adherence and the growth of bacteria on solid surfaces as biofilm are both naturally occurring phenomena. Biofilms can be defined as an accumulation of microorganisms and their extracellular products forming structured communities attached to a surface. Biofilms are able to build up under natural circumstances, for instance on the urothelium or prostate stones and they can also colonize the surfaces of implanted medical devices. Biofilm infections have a major role on temporary and permanent implants or devices placed in the human body. In the process of endourological development a great variety of foreign bodies have been invented besides urethral catheters like ureter, prostatic stents, percutan nephrostomy, penile, testicular implants and artificial urinary sphincters. Many biofilms are quite harmful but others can have a positive impact, namely lining healthy intestine and female genito-urinary tract. Biofilms have significant implications for clinical pharmacology, particularly related to antibiotic resistance, drug adsorption onto and off of devices, and minimum inhibitory concentrations of drugs required for effective therapy.