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Materials and equipment in food processing industries are colonized by surface-associated microbial communities called biofilms. In these biostructures microorganisms are embedded in a complex organic matrix composed essentially of polysaccharides, nucleic acids and proteins. This organic shield contributes to the mechanical biofilm cohesion and triggers tolerance to environmental stresses such as dehydratation or nutrient deprivation. Notably, cells within a biofilm are more tolerant to sanitation processes and the action of antimicrobial agents than their free living (or planktonic) counterparts. Such properties make conventional cleaning and disinfection protocols normally not effective in eradicating these biocontaminants. Biofilms are thus a continuous source of persistent microorganisms, including spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms, leading to repeated contamination of processed food with important economic and safety impact. Alternatively, in some particular settings, biofilm formation by resident or technological microorganisms can be desirable, due to possible enhancement of food fermentations or as a means of bioprotection against the settlement of pathogenic microorganisms. In the last decades substantial research efforts have been devoted to unravelling mechanisms of biofilm formation, deciphering biofilm architecture and understanding microbial interactions within those ecosystems. However, biofilms present a high level of complexity and many aspects remain yet to be fully understood. A lot of attention has been also paid to the development of novel strategies for preventing or controlling biofilm formation in industrial settings. Further research needs to be focused on the identification of new biocides effective against biofilm-associated microorganisms, the development of control strategies based on the inhibition of cell-to-cell communication, and the potential use of bacteriocins, bacteriocin-producing bacteria, phage, and natural antimicrobials as anti-biofilm agents, among others. This Research Topic aims to provide an avenue for dissemination of recent advances within the “biofilms” field, from novel knowledge on mechanisms of biofilm formation and biofilm architecture to novel strategies for biofilm control in food industrial settings.

Biofilms --- food quality --- Food Safety --- Biofilm formation --- Biofilm architecture --- biocontrol

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Nowadays, great concerns are associated with the resistance demonstrated by many microorganisms towards the conventional antibiotic therapies. The failure of traditional antimicrobials, and the increasing healthcare costs, have encouraged scientific research and the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Particularly, there is a great deal of interest in nanotechnologies and in antibacterial products obtained through the incorporation of antibacterial agents or the deposition of antibacterial coatings for prevention of biofilm-associated infections.The main focus of the forthcoming Special Issue is, therefore, to present the most recent efforts in scientific research in the development of advanced antimicrobial materials, with special attention to nature-inspired antimicrobial agents and antimicrobials nanomaterials and nanocoatings. For this purpose, we intend to collect original research articles and reviews on the synthesis and characterization of antimicrobial agents, as well as on the development of antimicrobial products for different applications.

infections, antimicrobial, nanomaterials, biofilm, antibiotic-resistance

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Biofilms are ubiquitous and their presence in industry can lead to production losses. However, nowhere do biofilms impact human health and welfare as much as those that are found contaminating the healthcare environment, surgical instruments, equipment, and medical implantable devices. Approximately 70% of healthcare-associated infections are due to biofilm formation, resulting in increased patient morbidity and mortality. Biofilms formed on medical implants are recalcitrant to antibiotic treatment, which leaves implant removal as the principal treatment option. In this book, we investigate the role of biofilms in breast and dental implant disease and cancer. We include in vitro models for investigating treatment of chronic wounds and disinfectant action against Candida sp. Also included are papers on the most recent strategies for treating biofilm infection ranging from antibiotics incorporated into bone void fillers to antimicrobial peptides and quorum sensing.

biofilm --- chronic wounds --- instillation therapy --- in vitro --- bacterial biofilms --- commensal bacteria --- bacterial phenotypes --- anti-biofilm strategies --- anti-adhesion --- dispersion --- biofilm formation --- healthcare --- biofilm inhibition --- quorum sensing --- multidrug efflux pumps --- biofilms --- anti-biofilms --- nosocomial pathogens --- Staphylococcus aureus --- Pseudomonas aeruginosa --- Klebsiella pneumoniae --- periodontitis --- peri-implantitis --- biofilms --- oral bacteria --- calcium sulfate --- antibiotics --- release --- zone of inhibition --- biofilm --- biofilm --- breast implant --- textured: capsular contracture --- anaplastic large cell lymphoma --- BIA-ALCL --- biofilm --- antimicrobial peptides --- mechanism of action --- medical devices --- biomaterials --- Candida auris --- dry-biofilm --- disinfection --- peracetic acid --- sodium hypochlorite --- chlorine dioxide --- sodium dichloroisocyanurate --- transferability --- regrowth --- biofilms --- dry surface biofilms --- periodontitis --- breast implants --- Candida auris --- calcium sulphate --- antibiotic --- topical negative pressure wound therapy --- antimicrobial peptides

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The transmission route used by many bacterial pathogens of clinical importance includes a step outside the host; thereafter refer to as the non-clinical environment (NCE). Obvious examples include foodborne and waterborne pathogens and also pathogens that are transmitted by hands or aerosols. In the NCE, pathogens have to cope with the presence of toxic compounds, sub-optimal temperature, starvation, presence of competitors and predators. Adaptation of bacterial pathogens to such stresses affects their interaction with the host. This Research Topic presents important concept to understand the life of bacterial pathogens in the NCE and provides the reader with an overview of the strategies used by bacterial pathogens to survive and replicate outside the host.

Biofilm --- Persistence --- Viable but non culturable --- protozoa --- packaging --- Listeria --- Legionella --- Escherichia coli --- Clostridium botulinum --- Pseudomonas

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The oral cavity harbors an immense diversity of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, archaea, protozoa and viruses. At health, oral microbial community is thought to be in a state of homeostasis, even after numerous perturbations (e.g., toothbrushing, food intake) a day. The breach in this homeostasis can occur for instance if the perturbations become too excessive (e.g., frequent carbohydrate intake leading to acidification of the community) or the host is compromised (e.g., inadequate immune response resulting in persistent inflammation of periodontal tissue). Aggressive antimicrobial therapy (e.g., antibiotics in case of periodontal disease or preventive antibiotic therapy before and after dental extractions) is commonly applied with all the negative consequences of this approach. So far little is known on the interplay between the environmental, host and microbial factors in maintaining an ecological balance. What are the prerequisites for a healthy oral ecosystem? Can we restore an unbalanced oral microbiome? How stable is the oral microbiome through time and how robust it is to external perturbations? Gaining new insights in the ecological factors sustaining oral health will lead to conceptually new therapies and preventive programs. Recent advances in high throughput technologies have brought microbiology as a science to a new era, allowing an open-ended approach instead of focusing on few opportunistic pathogens. With this topic we would like to integrate the current high-throughput ‘omics’ tools such as metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics or metabolomics with biochemical, physiological, genetic or clinical parameters within the oral microbial ecosystem. We aim to address questions underlying the regulation of the ecological balance in the oral cavity by including the following areas: • Ecology of oral microbiome at health • Ecology of oral microbiome under oral diseases • Ecology of oral microbiome during non-oral diseases • Shifts in the oral microbiome by therapeutic approaches (e.g., antimicrobials, replacement therapy, pre- and probiotics) • Modeling of oral ecological shifts (e.g., animal models, in vitro microcosm models) • Complex inter- and intra-kingdom interactions (e.g., bacterial-fungal-host) related to oral ecology • Environmental (e.g., diet, tobacco), host-related (e.g., immune response, saliva composition and flow) and biotic (e.g., bacterial competition) factors influencing oral ecology • Geographic variation in oral microbial ecology and diversity

horizontal gene transfer --- Fungal bacterial interactions --- Quorum Sensing --- Immune System --- Dental Plaque --- Biofilm --- Oral ecology --- metatranscriptomics