Growth Media for Mixed Multispecies Oropharyngeal Biofilm Compositions on Silicone

Aims. Microbial colonization of silicone voice prostheses by bacteria andCandidaspecies limits the device lifetime of modern voice prostheses in laryngectomized patients. Thus, research focuses on biofilm inhibitive properties of novel materials, coatings, and surface enhancements. Goal of thisin vitrostudy was the evaluation of seven commonly used growth media to simulate growth of mixed oropharyngeal species as mesoscale biofilms on prosthetic silicone for future research purposes.Methods and Results. Yeast Peptone Dextrose medium (YPD), Yeast Nitrogen Base medium (YNB), M199 medium, Spider medium, RPMI 1640 medium, Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB), and Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) were used to culture combined mixedCandidastrains and mixed bacterial-fungal compositions on silicone over the period of 22 days. The biofilm surface spread and the microscopic growth showed variations fromin vivobiofilms depending on the microbial composition and growth medium.Conclusion. YPD and FBS prove to support continuousin vitrogrowth of mixed bacterial-fungal oropharyngeal biofilms deposits over weeks as needed for longtermin vitrotesting with oropharyngeal biofilm compositions.Significance and Impact of Study. The study provides data on culture conditions for mixed multispecies biofilm compositions that can be used for future prosthesis designs.