Biofilm of human pathogens formation on Chitin

Abstract

Biofilms are known as bacteria formed colonies which can attach on the various surfaces and play a major role in the contamination of medicine instruments and food products. Bacteria form a biofilm in response to many factors, but the most important is the resistance to various classes of antibiotics (e.g. Salmonella spp., Acinetobacter baumannii). This can lead to serious health problems in humans. For example, A. baumannii bacterium causes serious infections including bacteremia, pneumonia, meningitis, urinary tract infection and wound infection in patients with low immune system. Shigella sonnei is a primary bacterium which causes a global human health complication – shigellosis, which is a big problem concerning underdeveloped countries, because it can be spread through feco-oral transmission. Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacterium is naturally found in marine waters and commonly causes severe gastroenteritis. Usually, Escherichia coli bacterium is not harmful to humans, but there are some strains, e.g. E. coli O157:H7 which releases toxins and causes diarrhea, abdominal pain or even kidney damage. For these reasons, it is important to find and produce bio-based antimicrobial coating materials, which might be able to inhibit bacterial biofilm formation. Chitin is one of the most versatile polysaccharide in the world due to its large set of applications in various fields and properties such as non-toxicity, biodegradability, biocompatibility and antibacterial activity. This study demonstrates that chitin has advantages to decrease the possibility of contamination and can be used as surfaces and coating materials in medicine and food industries.