Impact of surface topography on biofilm formation by Candida albicans

PLoS One. 2018 Jun 18;13(6):e0197925. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197925. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Candida albicans is a fungal pathogen that causes serious biofilm-based infections. Here we have asked whether surface topography may affect C. albicans biofilm formation. We tested biofilm growth of the prototypical wild-type strain SC5314 on a series of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) solids. The surfaces were prepared with monolayer coatings of monodisperse spherical silica particles that were fused together into a film using silica menisci. The surface topography was varied by varying the diameter of the silica particles that were used to form the film. Biofilm formation was observed to be a strong function of particle size. In the particle size range 4.0-8.0 μm, there was much more biofilm than in the size range 0.5-2.0 μm. The behavior of a clinical isolate from a clade separate from SC5314, strain p76067, showed results similar to that of SC5314. Our results suggest that topographic coatings may be a promising approach to reduce C. albicans biofilm infections.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biofilms / drug effects*
  • Biofilms / growth & development*
  • Candida albicans / drug effects*
  • Candida albicans / physiology*
  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes / chemistry
  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes / pharmacology
  • Nylons / chemistry
  • Nylons / pharmacology
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemistry
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes
  • Nylons
  • poly(dimethylsiloxane)-polyamide copolymer
  • Silicon Dioxide