Joy, Nikhita
(2016)
A 3-D Computational Model to Investigate the Role of Small Colony Variants (SCVs) in the Antibiotic Susceptibility of a Polymicrobial Biofilm.
Masters thesis, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad.
Abstract
Biofilm formation has been demonstrated for several pathogens and is evidently a significant microbial survival strategy. They have immense clinical relevance for their role in various infectious diseases and a range of device-related infections because of their increased tolerance to antibiotics. Intra- and inter-species interactions play an important role in the population dynamics and distribution of species within the biofilm community, thereby altering the course of infections and response to antimicrobial therapy. For instance, P. aeruginosa in the cystic fibrosis airway produces an exoproduct, 4-Hydroxy-2-heptylquinoline N-oxide (HQNO), that causes wild-type cells of S. aureus to phenotypically switch to small colony variants (SCVs). SCVs are problematic in chronic infections; even though they comprise a minor proportion of the population, they persist by virtue of their inherent resilience and host adaptability.
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