Team:YAU-China/Background
Burns generally refer to tissue damage caused by touching to high temperature, electric current, strong radiation or corrosive substances. Common injury factors are as follows:
1.Thermal burn
2.Chemical burn
3.Electric burn
The corresponding treatment method is generally washed first with water, but this is only for the skin that is not broken. If the skin is damaged, the natural barrier will be destroyed and it will cause bacterial infection. Burn infection is a major complication of burn patients and one of the causes of death in burn patients. There are some diseases in the clinic. For example, skin ulcers, bedsore and so on. Among the many pathogens that cause infection, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the main pathogen of burn wound infection, and it is difficult to be cured.
Due to its intrinsic properties, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is resistant to a variety of antimicrobial agents, part of the reason is the production of biofilm.
Biofilms are complex communities of bacteria embedded in an extracellular matrix composed of proteins, extracellular DNA ( eDNA), and exopolysaccharides.
The ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to form biofilms is thought to be an important factor underlying the success of this organism in causing persistent infections in humans.
Bacterial biofilm also widely exists on various moist surfaces containing water, such as food, food processing equipments, tap water pipelines, medical devices and even the surface of human tissues and organs under pathological condition.
It is well established that bacterial infections involving biofilm formation are difficult to eradicate.
Current solution
For the biofilm formed: it is a common preventive method to wrap the surface of medical materials such as catheters with antibiotics or other chemical fungicides. However, there are many defects in the application of antibiotics, which may induce the development of bacterial resistance, and the selection of broad-spectrum antibiotics is also limited. It is difficult to control the toxicity of chemical fungicides such as chlorhexidine, which may cause serious consequences. Physical ultrasonic methods are also not handled thoroughly.
Our advantages
The use of synthetic biology techniques has deepened research. A thorough understanding of the structure and formation process of biofilms will certainly benefit the study of control methods, thus providing an idea for the ultimate elimination of biofilm infections.
References
[1] Kumara A, Alama A, Ranib M, Ehteshamc N Z, Hasnaina S E. Biofilms: Survival and defense strategy for pathogens[J]. International Journal of Medical Microbiology, 2017, 307(8): 481-489.
[2] Caldwell C C, Chen Y, Goetzmann H S, Hao Y H, Borchers M T, Hassett D J, Young L R, Mavrodi D, Thomashow L, Lau G W. Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin pyocyanin causes cystic fibrosis airway pathogenesis[J]. American Journal of Pathology, 2009, 175(6): 0-2488.
[3] Esselman P C, Thombs B D, Magyar-Russell G, Fauerbach J A. Burn rehabilitation[J]. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 2006, 85(4): 383-413.