Biofilms, Infection, and Antimicrobial Therapy provides an in-depth exploration of biofilms, offering broad background information, as well a detailed look at the serious concerns to which biofilm-associated infections give rise.

Features:

• Provides up-to-date accounts of treatments of intravascular catheter and orthopedic implant infections, as well as prosthetic valve endocarditis
• Includes organism-specifics related to Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Eschericia coli, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and Candida albicans
• Details the relation of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to the treatment of biofilm-associated infections
• Considers the economic burden associated with treating biofilm-related infections

Contents

Biofilms: Background, Significance, and Roles of Catheters and Indwelling Devices

• Microbial Biofilms
• Economic Impact of Biofilms on Treatment Costs
• Biofilm-Related Indwelling Medical Device Infections
• Medical Device Composition and Biological Secretion Influences on Biofilm Formation

Biofilm-Forming Pathogens

• Role of Biofilms in Infections Caused by Escherichia coli
• Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms
• Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Infections in Cystic Fibrosis

Emerging Issues, Assays, and Models

• Current Perspectives on the Regulation of the ica Operon and Biofilm Formation in Staphylococcus epidermidis; Paul D. Fey and Luke D. Handke
• Cell-to-Cell Communication in Bacteria
• Persisters: Specialized Cells Responsible for Biofilm Tolerance to Antimicrobial Agents
• Minimal Biofilm Eradication Concentration (MBEC) Assay: Susceptibility Testing for Biofilms
• Environmental Cues Regulate Virulence and Biofilm Formation
• In Vivo Models for the Study of Biomaterial-Associated Infection by Biofilm-Forming Staphylococci
• Host Response to Biofilms

Overview of Antiinfective Agents and Clinical Therapy

• Pharmacodynamics and the Treatment of IMD-Related Infections
• Protein Synthesis Inhibitors, Fluoroquinolones, and Rifampin for Biofilm Infections
• o-Lactams for the Treatment of Biofilm-Associated Infections
• Glycopeptide Antibacterials and the Treatment of Biofilm-Related Infections
• Antibiotic Resistance in Biofilms
• Treatment Protocols for Infections of Vascular Catheters
• Treatment Protocols for Bacterial Endocarditis and Infection of Electrophysiologic Cardiac Devices
• Treatment Protocol of Infections of Orthopedic Devices

Index

click here to see books • videos • cd-roms of related interest