Microbial Interkingdom Biofilms and the Quest for Novel Therapeutic Strategies

Fungal and bacterial species interact with each other within polymicrobial biofilm communities in various niches of the human body. Interactions between these species can greatly affect human health and disease. Diseases caused by polymicrobial biofilms pose a major challenge in clinical settings be...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Katrien Van Dyck, Rita M. Pinto, Durgasruthi Pully, Patrick Van Dijck
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-02-01
Series:Microorganisms
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/2/412
Description
Summary:Fungal and bacterial species interact with each other within polymicrobial biofilm communities in various niches of the human body. Interactions between these species can greatly affect human health and disease. Diseases caused by polymicrobial biofilms pose a major challenge in clinical settings because of their enhanced virulence and increased drug tolerance. Therefore, different approaches are being explored to treat fungal–bacterial biofilm infections. This review focuses on the main mechanisms involved in polymicrobial drug tolerance and the implications of the polymicrobial nature for the therapeutic treatment by highlighting clinically relevant fungal–bacterial interactions. Furthermore, innovative treatment strategies which specifically target polymicrobial biofilms are discussed.
ISSN:2076-2607