Arciola C R, Balaban N, Baldassarri L, Fromm K, Hansch G M, Obst U, Presterl E, Stefani S, Verran J, Visai L
Research Unit on Implant Infections, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Bologna and Experimental Pathology Department, University of Bologna, Bologna - Italy.
Int J Artif Organs. 2008 Sep;31(9):858-64. doi: 10.1177/039139880803100915.
Research on implant infections requires cooperative efforts and integration between basic and clinical expertises. An international group of women scientists is acting together in this field. The main research topics of the participants of this group are described. Formation of bacterial biofilms, antibiotic resistance and production of virulence factors like adhesins and toxins are investigated. New biomaterials, coatings and drugs designed to inhibit microbial adhesion are evaluated, and infection-resistant biomaterials are under study, such as a novel heparinizable polycarbonate-urethane (Bionate) or incorporation of diamino-diamide-diol (PIME) to reduce bacterial attachment. The correlation between biofilm production and the accessory-gene-regulator (agr) is investigated in Staphylococcus aureus. The ability to form biofilm has also been shown to be one of the important virulence factors of Enterococcus faecalis, favouring colonization of inert and biological surfaces. The study of quorum sensing has led to the discovery of a quorum sensing inhibitor termed RIP that suppresses staphylococcal biofilm and infections. The immune response and the local defence mechanisms of the host against implant-associated infections, activation and infiltration of immunocompetent cells into the sites of infection have been studied in patients with implant-associated osteomyelitis. Production of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) as possible vaccines against the staphylococcal collagen-binding MSCRAMMs is in progress.
植入物感染的研究需要基础专业知识与临床专业知识之间的协同努力与整合。一个国际女性科学家团队正在该领域共同开展研究。文中描述了该团队参与者的主要研究课题。研究内容包括细菌生物膜的形成、抗生素耐药性以及诸如黏附素和毒素等毒力因子的产生。对旨在抑制微生物黏附的新型生物材料、涂层和药物进行了评估，并且正在研究抗感染生物材料，例如一种新型的可肝素化聚碳酸酯 - 聚氨酯（Bionate）或掺入二氨基 - 二酰胺 - 二醇（PIME）以减少细菌附着。在金黄色葡萄球菌中研究了生物膜产生与辅助基因调节因子（agr）之间的相关性。形成生物膜的能力也已被证明是粪肠球菌的重要毒力因子之一，有利于在惰性和生物表面定殖。群体感应的研究导致发现了一种名为RIP的群体感应抑制剂，它可抑制葡萄球菌生物膜和感染。在患有植入物相关骨髓炎的患者中，研究了宿主针对植入物相关感染的免疫反应和局部防御机制、免疫活性细胞向感染部位的激活和浸润情况。作为针对葡萄球菌胶原结合MSCRAMMs的可能疫苗，单克隆抗体（mAbs）的生产正在进行中。
