Bacterial biofilm cells quantification techniques: where is consensus in over two decades?
![Thumbnail](/bitstream/handle/123456789/2419/jmbfs-1189-olwal.pdf.jpg?sequence=4&isAllowed=y)
View/ Open
Publication Date
2019-01-12Author
Charles Ochieng’ Olwal, Daniel Otieno Ochiel, David Miruka Onyango, Paul Oyieng’ Ang’ienda
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract/ Overview
It is widely accepted that bacterial biofilms are overly resistant to antibiotics, host immunity and disinfectants. Biofilms develop on
various food-processing surfaces hence pose major risks in food industries. Biofilms serve as protective niches for pathogens in food
and water thus enhance transmission of food borne pathogens. Furthermore, biofilms are implicated in medical implant infections. The
serious problems associated with bacterial biofilms in food, biomedical and environmental fields have stimulated active research on
biofilms for over two decades. Biofilm cells quantification is important in many research applications especially in anti-biofilm efficacy
studies and quality controls in many industries. However, to date there is no consensus on which technique is most suitable for
quantifying bacterial biofilm cells. This apparent lack of a standard technique has hindered effective comparison of results from
different bacterial biofilm studies since each technique has a unique readout. Furthermore, it appears that the choice of a biofilm cells
quantification technique is largely a matter of convenience and availability of a technique. This may introduce biasness. Consequently,
this review critically assesses the availability, suitability and limitations of different techniques for quantifying biofilm cells. This could
inform better control and management of bacterial biofilms in environmental and clinical settings.
Collections
- Department of Zoology [160]