High-throughput Identification of Bacteria Repellent Polymers for Medical Devices

J Vis Exp. 2016 Nov 5:(117):54382. doi: 10.3791/54382.

Abstract

Medical devices are often associated with hospital-acquired infections, which place enormous strain on patients and the healthcare system as well as contributing to antimicrobial resistance. One possible avenue for the reduction of device-associated infections is the identification of bacteria-repellent polymer coatings for these devices, which would prevent bacterial binding at the initial attachment step. A method for the identification of such repellent polymers, based on the parallel screening of hundreds of polymers using a microarray, is described here. This high-throughput method resulted in the identification of a range of promising polymers that resisted binding of various clinically relevant bacterial species individually and also as multi-species communities. One polymer, PA13 (poly(methylmethacrylate-co-dimethylacrylamide)), demonstrated significant reduction in attachment of a number of hospital isolates when coated onto two commercially available central venous catheters. The method described could be applied to identify polymers for a wide range of applications in which modification of bacterial attachment is important.

Publication types

  • Video-Audio Media

MeSH terms

  • Bacteria*
  • Bacterial Adhesion
  • Equipment Contamination*
  • Equipment and Supplies*
  • Polymers*

Substances

  • Polymers