Scanning electrochemical microscopy and its potential for studying biofilms and antimicrobial coatings
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REVIEW
Scanning electrochemical microscopy and its potential for studying biofilms and antimicrobial coatings Giada Caniglia 1 & Christine Kranz 1 Received: 17 May 2020 / Revised: 8 June 2020 / Accepted: 19 June 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Biofilms are known to be well-organized microbial communities embedded in an extracellular polymeric matrix, which supplies bacterial protection against external stressors. Biofilms are widespread and diverse, and despite the considerable large number of publications and efforts reported regarding composition, structure and cell-to-cell communication within biofilms in the last decades, the mechanisms of biofilm formation, the interaction and communication between bacteria are still not fully understood. This knowledge is required to understand why biofilms form and how we can combat them or how we can take advantage of these sessile communities, e.g. in biofuel cells. Therefore, in situ and real-time monitoring of nutrients, metabolites and quorum sensing molecules is of high importance, which may help to fill that knowledge gap. This review focuses on the potential of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) as a versatile method for in situ studies providing temporal and lateral resolution in order to elucidate cell-to-cell communication, microbial metabolism and antimicrobial impact, e.g. of antimicrobial coatings through the study of electrochemical active molecules. Given the complexity and diversity of biofilms, challenges and limitations will be also discussed. Keywords Scanning electrochemical microscopy . Biofilm . Bacteria . Quorum sensing . Antimicrobial
Introduction The term biofilm was used in technical and environmental microbiology already for a long time to describe bacterial sessile aggregates as a cause of biofouling [1]; however, Costerton et al. [2] first introduced the term biofilm in biomedical research, studying the proteomic of Pseudomonas aeruginosa microcolonies. The authors described them as an interconnected and well-organized community of bacteria, able to stick to both biotic and abiotic surfaces, exhibiting increased antimicrobial resistance in comparison with planktonic cell cultures. It is estimated that bacteria in biofilms become up to 1000 times more resistant to antimicrobial agents [3]. Due to the elevated resilience, biofilms affect our societies in many ways ranging from health-related issues, Published in the topical collection featuring Female Role Models in Analytical Chemistry. * Christine Kranz [email protected] 1
Institute of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee, 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
such as contamination in medical devices, e.g. urinary catheters [4], cardiovascular devices [5] and orthopaedic prosthetics [6], in food industries [7], agriculture [8] and biocorrosion and microfouling in sewer pipes, shipping industries, etc. [9–11]. Biofilms are the cause of about 65% of chronic diseases in humans [12]. For example, Staphylococcus aureus is able to colonize the upper r
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