Lee Keehoon, Costerton J W, Ravel Jacques, Auerbach Raymond K, Wagner David M, Keim Paul, Leid Jeff G
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA.
The Center for Biofilms, The University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Microbiology (Reading). 2007 Jun;153(Pt 6):1693-1701. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.2006/003376-0.
Biofilms, communities of micro-organisms attached to a surface, are responsible for many chronic diseases and are often associated with environmental reservoirs or lifestyles. Bacillus anthracis is a Gram-positive, endospore-forming bacterium and is the aetiological agent of pulmonary, gastrointestinal and cutaneous anthrax. Anthrax infections are part of the natural lifecycle of many ruminants in North America, including cattle and bison, and B. anthracis is thought to be a central part of this ecosystem. However, in endemic areas in which humans and livestock interact, chronic cases of cutaneous anthrax are commonly reported. This suggests that biofilms of B. anthracis exist in the environment and are part of the ecology associated with its lifecycle. Currently, there are few data that account for the importance of the biofilm mode of life in B. anthracis, yet biofilms have been characterized in other pathogenic and non-pathogenic Bacillus species, including Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis, respectively. This study investigated the phenotypic and functional role of biofilms in B. anthracis. The results demonstrate that B. anthracis readily forms biofilms which are inherently resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics, and that antibiotic resistance is not solely the function of sporulation.
生物膜是附着在表面的微生物群落，与许多慢性疾病有关，并且常常与环境储库或生活方式相关。炭疽芽孢杆菌是一种革兰氏阳性、形成芽孢的细菌，是肺炭疽、胃肠炭疽和皮肤炭疽的病原体。炭疽感染是北美许多反刍动物自然生命周期的一部分，包括牛和野牛，炭疽芽孢杆菌被认为是这个生态系统的核心部分。然而，在人类和牲畜相互作用的流行地区，经常报告有慢性皮肤炭疽病例。这表明炭疽芽孢杆菌的生物膜存在于环境中，并且是与其生命周期相关的生态的一部分。目前，关于炭疽芽孢杆菌生物膜生活方式的重要性的数据很少，然而，生物膜已分别在其他致病和非致病芽孢杆菌物种中得到表征，包括蜡样芽孢杆菌和枯草芽孢杆菌。本研究调查了生物膜在炭疽芽孢杆菌中的表型和功能作用。结果表明，炭疽芽孢杆菌很容易形成生物膜，这些生物膜对常用抗生素具有内在抗性，并且抗生素抗性不仅仅是芽孢形成的功能。
