Title: Bacterial Adhesion and Biomaterial Surfaces
Abstract: One of the most common and serious complications associated with the implantation of any biomaterial into a biological system such as the human body is bacterial infection. The presence and growth of bacteria in the vicinity of any implanted biomaterial represents failure of the device, despite the fact that the device may otherwise be free of any material or functional defect. The focus of this chapter is this first step in the colonization/infection process: the adhesion of bacteria to biomaterials. The number of bacteria that may adhere and their ability to grow and spread on the biomaterial surface is greatly influenced by the physicochemical properties of both the biomaterial and the bacteria. The laboratory methods used to measure bacterial adhesion, the theories developed to explain it, and the biomaterial parameters, which influence bacterial adhesion will all be discussed in this chapter. Finally, surface modification has become a major field of work in biomaterial science to improve various aspects of currently available biomaterials, and we will describe the impact of numerous modifications of biomaterial surfaces on bacterial adhesion as well as a brief description of some biomaterial modifications designed to create so-called bacteria-repellent biomaterials.
Publication Year: 2011
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 26
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