The Use of Therapeutic Ultrason in Control of Biofilm Infections

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the antibiofilm feature of ultrasound by compiling researches on the use of therapeutic ultrasound in biofilm removal. The literature was scanned with the keywords “biofilm removal”, “therapeutic ultrasound”. Therapeutic ultrasound application can generate two possible bacterial responses, in the form of inducing bactericidal and bacterial growth. The bactericidal effect has been reported in different studies where high intensity occurs at low frequency, induction of bacterial growth occurs at low intensity and low frequency. For bactericidal effect with antibiofilm properties, ultrasound should be applied at high intensity and low frequency. The combined use of ultrasound with other methods, especially antimicrobials, ensures effective destruction of biofilms and prevents the development of antibiotic resistance

Keywords

• Therapeutic ultrasound
• biofilm removal
• antibiotic resistance
• antibiofilm
• microbubble
• cavitation effect

References

1. Bayrakal, V., Baskın, H. (2018). Quorum sensing and biyofilm. Sakarya S, Ed. Biyofilm Enfeksiyonları. 1. Baskı. Ankara, Türkiye Klinikleri, 4-13.
2. Costerton, J. W., Cheng, K. J., Geesey, G. G., Ladd, T. I., Nickel, J. C., Dasgupta, M., Marrie, T. J. (1987). Bacterial biofilms in nature and disease. Annual Review of Microbiology, 41(1), 435–464.
3. Erriu, M., Blus, C., Szmukler-Moncler, S., Buogo, S., Levi, R., Barbato, G., Orrù, G. (2014). Microbial biofilm modulation by ultrasound: current concepts and controversies. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 21(1), 15–22.
4. Harrison, J. J., Turner, R. J., Marques, L., Ceri, H. (2005). A new understanding of these microbial communities is driving a revolution that may transform the science of microbiology. American Scientist, 93
5. Hoiby, N., Bjarnsholt, T., Moser, C., Bassi, G. L., Coenye, T., Donelli, G., Hall-Stoodley, L., Holá, V., Imbert, C., Kirketerp-Moller, K., Lebeaux, D., Oliver, A., Ullmann, A. J., Williams, C. (2015). ESCMID guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of biofilm infections 2014. Clin Microbiol Infect, 2015, 21(1), 1-25
6. Mah, T. F. (2012). Biofilm-specific antibiotic resistance. Future Microbiology, 7(9), 1061–1072. Percival, S. L., Bowler, P. G. (2004). Biofilms and their potential role in wound healing. Wounds, 16(7), 234-240.
7. Percival, S. L. (2017). Importance of biofilm formation in surgical infection. British Journal of Surgery, 104(2), 85–94.
8. Stewart, P. S., William Costerton, J. (2001). Antibiotic resistance of bacteria in biofilms. The Lancet, 358(9276), 135–138.

9. Zhu, H. X., Cai, X. Z., Shi, Z. L., Hu, B., Yan, S. G. (2014). Microbubble-mediated ultrasound enhances the lethal effect of gentamicin on planktonic Escherichia coli. BioMed Research International, 1–7