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The limitations of in vitro experimentation in understanding biofilms and chronic infection

Aled E. L. Roberts, Kasper N. Kragh, Thomas Bjarnsholt, Stephen P. Diggle
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/032987
Aled E. L. Roberts
1Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University Park, University of Not-tingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
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Kasper N. Kragh
2Department of Immunology & Microbiology, Københavns Universitet, SUND, Blegdamsvej 3b, 24.1, 2200 København, Denmark
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Thomas Bjarnsholt
2Department of Immunology & Microbiology, Københavns Universitet, SUND, Blegdamsvej 3b, 24.1, 2200 København, Denmark
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Stephen P. Diggle
1Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University Park, University of Not-tingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
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Abstract

We have become increasingly aware that during infection, pathogenic bacteria often grow in multicellular biofilms which are often highly resistant to antibacterial strategies. In order to understand how biofilms form and contribute to infection, in vitro biofilm systems such as microtitre plate assays and flow cells, have been heavily used by many research groups around the world. Whilst these methods have greatly increased our understanding of the biology of biofilms, it is becoming increasingly apparent that many of our in vitro methods do not accurately represent in vivo conditions. Here we present a systematic review of the most widely used in vitro biofilm systems, and we discuss why they are not always representative of the in vivo biofilms found in chronic infections. We present examples of methods that will help us to bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo biofilm work, so that our bench-side data can ultimately be used to improve bedside treatment.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted November 27, 2015.
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The limitations of in vitro experimentation in understanding biofilms and chronic infection
Aled E. L. Roberts, Kasper N. Kragh, Thomas Bjarnsholt, Stephen P. Diggle
bioRxiv 032987; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/032987
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The limitations of in vitro experimentation in understanding biofilms and chronic infection
Aled E. L. Roberts, Kasper N. Kragh, Thomas Bjarnsholt, Stephen P. Diggle
bioRxiv 032987; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/032987

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