Biofilm formation is a multifactorial process and often a multi-species endeavour that involves complex signalling networks, chemical gradients, bacterial adhesion, and production or acquisition of matrix components. Antibiotics remain the main choice when treating bacterial biofilm-associated infections despite their intrinsic tolerance to antimicrobials, and propensity for acquisition and rapid dissemination of antimicrobial resistance within the biofilm. Eliminating hard to treat biofilm-associated infections that are antibiotic resistant will demand a holistic and multi-faceted approach, targeting multiple stages of biofilm formation, many of which are already in development. This mini review will highlight the current approaches that are employed to treat bacterial biofilm infections and discuss new approaches in development that have promise to reach clinical practice.

生物膜的形成是一个多因素过程，通常是涉及复杂信号网络、化学梯度、细菌粘附以及基质成分的产生或获取的多物种努力。抗生素仍然是治疗细菌生物膜相关感染的主要选择，尽管它们对抗菌剂具有内在的耐受性，并且倾向于在生物膜内获得和快速传播抗菌素耐药性。消除难以治疗的具有抗生素抗性的生物膜相关感染将需要一种整体和多方面的方法，针对生物膜形成的多个阶段，其中许多阶段已经在开发中。