ABSTRACT

This review describes biofilms and the need for a materials science/engineering approach to solve the problems in the medical field. In particular, biofilm problems are closely related to infectious diseases. Most chronic diseases and the hospital-acquired infections could be attributed to biofilms. Biofilms usually form on materials. They may be biomaterials such as implants, catheters, stents and others. These films can also form on items outside of the human body. They include beds, service tables, medical knives, needles for injections, etc. Even though materials obviously affect biofilms formation and growth, there have been few studies using the materials science approach. In this review, we summarize the concept of biofilms from the viewpoint of materials science. Topics include the interaction between biofilms and materials (especially metallic materials), evaluation techniques, a bird's-eye analysis of previous investigations, and a discussion about the future direction for developing anti-infectious metallic materials.

摘要

这篇综述描述了生物膜以及解决医学领域问题的材料科学/工程方法的必要性。特别是，生物膜问题与传染病密切相关。大多数慢性病和医院获得性感染可归因于生物膜。生物膜通常在材料上形成。它们可能是生物材料，例如植入物、导管、支架等。这些薄膜也可以在人体以外的物品上形成。它们包括床、服务台、医用刀、注射针等。尽管材料明显影响生物膜的形成和生长，但很少有研究使用材料科学方法。在这篇综述中，我们从材料科学的角度总结了生物膜的概念。