DANA POINT, CALIF. – "Biofilms are ubiquitous," said Dr. Robert Galiano, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
"They [bacteria] hijack the body’s healing mechanisms, so instead of healing, ... the body’s inflammatory cascade gets amplified to a degree where it actually becomes tissue damaging," he said at the Summit in Aesthetic Medicine 2014.
Much of what we know about how bacteria communicate with one another to form biofilms comes from research into the prevention and treatment of chronic wounds. More research is needed, but greater understanding of how bacteria communicate with one another to prevent antimicrobial action may lead to new therapeutic targets that could benefit many medical specialties, he added.
Potential therapeutic targets range from coatings for wound dressings to protective barriers on stents and implants of all kinds to extend their durability. In this interview, Dr. Galiano discusses current treatment strategies to manage bacteria, which patients are at greatest risk, and future directions for biofilm prevention.
The summit was held by Global Academy for Medical Education. GAME and this news organization are owned by Frontline Medical Communications. Dr. Galiano had no financial conflicts to disclose.
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