Barbeau J, Gauthier C, Payment P
Department of Stomatology, Faculty of Dentistry, Université de Montréal, Canada.
Can J Microbiol. 1998 Nov;44(11):1019-28. doi: 10.1139/cjm-44-11-1019.
Aquatic biofilms, which are widespread not only in nature but also in medical and dental devices, can be the source of serious nosocomial infections. In these hardy microbial communities, pathogens like nontuberculous mycobacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Legionella pneumophila, and other bacteria not only survive but proliferate and lie in wait for susceptible hosts. Not only are these organisms intrinsically resistant to high temperatures and biocides, but the biofilms they inhabit enhance their resistance. This should be of concern to infection control practitioners. The bacterial colonization of dental unit waterlines can be used as a model to investigate the problem of waterborne biofilms in health care settings.
水生生物膜不仅广泛存在于自然界，还存在于医疗和牙科设备中，可能是严重医院感染的源头。在这些顽强的微生物群落中，非结核分枝杆菌、铜绿假单胞菌、嗜肺军团菌等病原体以及其他细菌不仅能够存活，还会增殖并伺机感染易感宿主。这些微生物不仅本身耐高温且对杀菌剂具有抗性，而且它们所处的生物膜还会增强其抗性。感染控制从业人员应关注这一问题。牙科设备水路中的细菌定植可作为研究医疗保健环境中水性生物膜问题的一个模型。
