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Journal article
Bacterial Biofilm Growth on 3D-Printed Materials
Frontiers in microbiology, v 12, pp 646303-646303
28 May 2021
PMID: 34122361
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Recent advances in 3D printing have led to a rise in the use of 3D printed materials in prosthetics and external medical devices. These devices, while inexpensive, have not been adequately studied for their ability to resist biofouling and biofilm buildup. Bacterial biofilms are a major cause of biofouling in the medical field and, therefore, hospital-acquired, and medical device infections. These surface-attached bacteria are highly recalcitrant to conventional antimicrobial agents and result in chronic infections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and medical officials have considered 3D printed medical devices as alternatives to conventional devices, due to manufacturing shortages. This abundant use of 3D printed devices in the medical fields warrants studies to assess the ability of different microorganisms to attach and colonize to such surfaces. In this study, we describe methods to determine bacterial biofouling and biofilm formation on 3D printed materials. We explored the biofilm-forming ability of multiple opportunistic pathogens commonly found on the human body including
Escherichia coli
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, and
Staphylococcus aureus
to colonize eight commonly used polylactic acid (PLA) polymers. Biofilm quantification, surface topography, digital optical microscopy, and 3D projections were employed to better understand the bacterial attachment to 3D printed surfaces. We found that biofilm formation depends on surface structure, hydrophobicity, and that there was a wide range of antimicrobial properties among the tested polymers. We compared our tested materials with commercially available antimicrobial PLA polymers.
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Details
- Title
- Bacterial Biofilm Growth on 3D-Printed Materials
- Creators
- Donald C. Hall - Drexel UniversityPhillip Palmer - Center for Advanced Microbial Processing and Center for Surgical Infections and Biofilms, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Philadelphia, PA, United States.Hai-Feng Ji - Drexel UniversityGarth D. Ehrlich - Drexel UniversityJarosław E. Król - Center for Advanced Microbial Processing and Center for Surgical Infections and Biofilms, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
- Publication Details
- Frontiers in microbiology, v 12, pp 646303-646303
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media S.A
- Grant note
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Microbiology and Immunology; Chemistry
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000659682200001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85107544504
- Other Identifier
- 991019168343604721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Microbiology