Biofilms are complex bacterial structures composed of bacterial cells embedded in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) consisting of polysaccharides, proteins and lipids. As a result, biofilms are difficult to eradicate using both mechanical methods, i.e., scraping, and chemical methods such as disinfectants or antibiotics. Bacteriophages are shown to be able to act as anti-biofilm agents, with the ability to penetrate through the matrix and reach the bacterial cells. However, they also seem to have their limitations. After several hours of treatment with phages, the biofilm tends to grow back and phage-resistant bacteria emerge. Therefore, it is now recommended to use a mixture of phages and other antibacterial agents in order to increase treatment efficiency. In our work we have paired staphylococcal phages with lactoferrin, a protein with proven anti-biofilm proprieties. By analyzing the biofilm biomass and metabolic activity, we have observed that the addition of lactoferrin to phage lysate accelerated the anti-biofilm effect of phages and also prevented biofilm re-growth. Therefore, this combination might have a potential use in biofilm eradication procedures in medical settings.

中文翻译：

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噬菌体-乳铁蛋白混合物对多药耐药金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜的活性

生物膜是由嵌入胞外聚合物 (EPS) 中的细菌细胞组成的复杂细菌结构，EPS 由多糖、蛋白质和脂质组成。因此，使用机械方法（即刮擦）和化学方法（例如消毒剂或抗生素）都难以根除生物膜。噬菌体被证明能够充当抗生物膜剂，具有穿透基质并到达细菌细胞的能力。但是，它们似乎也有其局限性。在用噬菌体处理几个小时后，生物膜往往会重新生长，并出现抗噬菌体细菌。因此，现在建议使用噬菌体和其他抗菌剂的混合物，以提高治疗效率。在我们的工作中，我们将葡萄球菌噬菌体与乳铁蛋白配对，一种具有经证实的抗生物膜特性的蛋白质。通过分析生物膜生物量和代谢活性，我们观察到在噬菌体裂解物中添加乳铁蛋白加速了噬菌体的抗生物膜作用，同时也阻止了生物膜的再生长。因此，这种组合可能在医疗环境中的生物膜根除程序中具有潜在用途。