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Nowadays, one of the greatest concerns of scientists all over the world is antibiotic resistance of bacteria as such, and mostly of those able to develop biofilms. Single- or polyspecies biofilms, formed in different environments, starting with the aquatic ones, up to hospital environment, on both biotic and abiotic surfaces, are characterized by higher resistance to antimicrobials than planktonic bacterial cells; bacteria’s structure and physiology are modified, making them able to withstand minimal survival conditions. To understand how bacteria interact with themselves and different surfaces to develop a biofilm and the changes that bacteria suffer during that process, many methods and models were designed to reproduce, in experimental conditions, a microbial biofilm. This article comprises a critical review on several models of experimental biofilm development described in the scientific literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance represents a global threat. In recent years, an alarming increase in cases of infections with multidrug resistant bacteria has been reported. In this context, it is necessary to find new therapeutic approaches. Dendrimers are new artificial macromolecules with a highly branched three dimensional structure. Recently, many researchers have focused on investigating the possible applications of dendrimers in different medical fields. Dendrimers proved to be useful in the treatment of bacterial infections. They exhibit antibacterial effects or act as carriers for antibiotics. Thus, dendrimers may be a promising weapon against multidrug resistant bacteria, but several peculiarities of these molecules, like their cytotoxicity, biodisponibility, half life etc. should also be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting intertriginous skin areas of young adults. Although HS was historically defined as an infectious disease, the role of microorganisms in its pathogenesis is now controversial. We investigated the lesion microbiota of a recently diagnosed 24-year-old male patient with axillary HS, who shared features of the metabolic syndrome. The microbiological analysis of the patient's lesion was indicative of colonization with bacteria including aerobes - Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, S. lugdunensis, S. epidermidis, anaerobes - Anaerococcus (A.) octavius, and microaerophiles - Cutibacterium (C.) acnes; this last one was also isolated in monoculture from a patient's healthy skin control sample. In vitro antibiotic susceptibility evaluation revealed Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and highly susceptible S. lugdunensis and S. epidermidis. Profiles of A. octavius and C. acnes showed that both strains were susceptible to Vancomycin, Clindamycin, Doxycycline and Linezolid; the anaerobe was Benzylpenicillin-resistant and Tetracycline and the microaerophile was intrinsically Metronidazole-resistant. We conclude that the intralesional microbial diversity in this case shows low variety of species and similarities to healthy skin microbiota, although the presence of S. aureus, particularly MRSA, S. lugdunensis or C. acnes - frequently involved in chronic skin pathologies - may be relevant for the disease severity. MRSA carriage in the patient's lesion represents a significant epidemiological risk for the healthcare environment. Antibiotic treatment in the early stages of HS should be administered with caution. Extended studies of HS microbiota could identify relevant colonization patterns for the outcome of the disease and offer important keys for selecting personalised, efficient therapeutic schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]