ANALYSIS OF BIOFILM PRODUCTION AND ANTIBIOFILM ACTIVITY IN ANAEROBIC MICROBIAL COMMUNITY OF HUMAN BODY

Beena Antony; Hilda Pinto; Zomuanpuii Colney

Volume : VIII, Issue : XII, December - 2019

ANALYSIS OF BIOFILM PRODUCTION AND ANTIBIOFILM ACTIVITY IN ANAEROBIC MICROBIAL COMMUNITY OF HUMAN BODY

Beena Antony, Hilda Pinto, Zomuanpuii Colney

Abstract :

Introduction: Anaerobes exist in the human oral cavity, gastrointestinal tract and vagina as normal flora as well as significant pathogens. Virulence factors which contribute to the pathogenesis are many and complex in nature. Biofilm formation is one of such virulence factors which plays an important role in initiation of colonization . Bacteria in biofilms are known to be more resistant. Clinical biofilm infections are marked by symptoms that recur even after repeated treatments . Apart from the scanty literature from the Western countries, no Indian studies are available regarding the biofilm production and antibiofilm activity in anaerobes. . Material & Methods: In the present study of 2 years duration(2017 & 2018), 550 specimen suggestive of anaerobes were processed. Randomly selected 78 strains were subjected to MALDI TOF Analysis and 86 for Biofilm detection. Antimicrobial action of various herbal extracts were tested on 123 Anaerobes. 54 strong and moderate biofilm producers were investigated for antibiofilm activity against essential oils of lemon grass, nutmeg & clove based on the susceptibility. Ten strains found to produce biofilms were subjected to Confocal microscopy. Results: 472 aerobes ,381 anaerobes and 48 Microaerophilic bacteria were isolated in the study. B fragilis group was the most common anaerobic isolate . Among the 86 anaerobes tested, 38 were strong Biofilm producers, 16 moderate Biofilm producers. The results of Antimirobial action revealed that lemon grass exhibited the best action followed by Nutmeg. Antibiofilm activity of herbal essential oils against 54 anaerobes showed that lemon grass, nutmeg and clove inhibited 42, 26 and 15 anaerobes respectively at BIC50 Conclusion: Biofilm formation is an important virulence factor in Anaerobes. Many herbal extracts were found to be active against anaerobes. Essential oil of Lemon grass, clove and nutmeg exhibited good antibacterial and antibiofilm activity. Further research can be extended to develop these herbal extracts as candidate agents in preventing biofilm formation in medical devices.