Exploring the Antibiotic Effects in Bacterial Biofilms by Epifluorescence and Scanning Electron Microscopy

• Type: Article in International Conference Proceedings Book
• Date: 2015

Authors

Luciana Calheiros Gomes (Author) FEUP; Laura Nunes Silva (Author) FEUP; Manuel Simões (Author) FEUP; Luís Ferreira de Melo (Author) FEUP; Filipe José Mergulhão (Author) FEUP

Conference proceedings International

Title: 2ND INTERNATIONAL MULTIDISCIPLINARY MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS CONGRESS

Pages: 241-248

2nd International Multidisciplinary Microscopy and Microanalysis Congress and Exhibition (INTERM)

Oludeniz, TURKEY, OCT 16-19, 2014

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Associated Projects

SYNBIOBACTHER - Construção de bactérias "terapêuticas" usando uma abordagem de biologia sintética

Bioresist - Estudo da influência do fenótipo de biofilmes na sua resiliência e resistência

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00G-TJ9

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-16919-4_31

Abstract (EN): Biofilm bacteria are more resistant to antibiotics than their free-living counterparts. For development of effective antimicrobial therapies, it is crucial to understand the interactions between antibiotics and biofilm cells. This work evaluates the killing and removal effects of ciprofloxacin in Escherichia coli biofilms using a combination of epifluorescence and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). When ciprofloxacin was applied to 24 h-old biofilms, two distinct phases were observed. In phase 1 (corresponding to the initial 3 h after application), only 4 % of sessile cells were killed and no removal from the surface was observed. Phase 2 comprises two stages, in the first (between 3 and 4.5 h of antibiotic exposure) about 70 % of the bacterial cells were removed but 60 % of the remaining cells were still alive. In the second stage, it was possible to attain complete cell inactivation (after 7.5 h) although 10 % of the initial cells remained attached to the surface. SEM micrographs show that antibiotic-treated cells have filamentous forms when compared to untreated cells.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 8