Biofilm
The Center for Integrative Biology and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health estimates that 80% of all infections in the US involve biofilm. At present, there is no effective treatment that both disrupts the development of biofilm and eradicates the bacteria within. NovaBay’s products, however, have demonstrated in in-vitro and in-vivo studies the ability to penetrate biofilm, as well as to kill microbes sheltered within the biofilm.
Biofilm is often associated with conditions such as:
- Sinus infections
- Ear infections
- Chronic wounds
- Infections related to cystic fibrosis
- Catheters
- Stents
- Contact lenses
- Bone implants
- Cochlear implants
- Breast implants
Many bacteria spend much of their existence within a matrix that they create, called biofilm. Biofilm consists of mucopolysaccharide (or slime-like) structures produced by microorganisms as a defense mechanism against their environment. Encased in biofilm, bacteria can survive for prolonged periods by assuming a dormant state. When bacteria are in a dormant state, they are largely immune to antibiotics, which are generally only effective against bacteria during specific non-dormant stages in their life cycle. When bacteria are protected by biofilm, antibiotics frequently provide only temporary relief and bacteria can eventually emerge from their biofilm to re-infect the patient. In biofilm, bacteria are also largely protected from white blood cells that normally kill most pathogens that enter the body. White blood cells combat bacteria by engulfing them, which they are unable to do once bacteria have created biofilm. Furthermore, many commonly used antiseptics are neutralized by biofilm.
