Bacterial Adhesion and Biofilm Formation: Hydrodynamics Effects

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The effectiveness of biomedical surfaces may be highly affected by the hydrodynamic condition. Surfaces releasing antimicrobial substances when exposed to flow may exhibit shorter lifetimes than at static conditions. Likewise, depending on the fluid flow surrounding the surface, contact-killing surfaces that are adhesive for bacterial cells may be covered by bacterial debris, which decreases their antimicrobial activity. To evaluate the anti-adhesive and antimicrobial performance of novel biomedical materials, a number of flow devices have been designed to recreate <jats:italic>in vivo</jats:italic> flow conditions. Shear stress and flow rate can be accurately controlled and varied in these <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic> flow systems, which requires prior knowledge of the flow dynamics inside the platform. After limiting their operational range, modified Robbins devices, flow chambers and microfluidic devices are suggested as experimental setups to mimic the flow behavior in urinary catheters and stents.</jats:p>