Infectious risks of biofilms on medical implants
Abstract
Within a biofilm, there is normally a notion of spatial structuring, the microbes live there in 3D and are called adherent cells. Biofilms formed on medical implants pose a serious public health problem and interfere with the functioning of various medical implants as they present a microbial biological fortress. This way of life provides better resistance to environmental aggressions, whether biotic or abiotic. Moreover, the catheters used today at the hospital level, especially the peripheral venous catheters, are at high risk of biofilm formation and thus patient infection. This high risk is due to many reasons, including the chemical composition and the morphology of the implant surface. To protect these medical devices against pollution and infectious risks and thus avoid (reduce) hospital-acquired infections, we should understand all biofilm-surface interactions from a microscopic, chemical and metabolic point of view. It is therefore in this context that this research project finds its meaning, the general objective is to deepen our knowledge of the phenomena governing the structuring of biofilms for the control and management of their activities.