ArticlePloS one2012
Characterization of biofilm formation by Borrelia burgdorferi in vitro.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 78 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
78 citing papers in PubMed.
- Borrelia burgdorferi-Induced Neuroinflammation in Lyme Disease: A Potential Driver of Alzheimer's Disease Pathology?Molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
- Antimicrobial cyclic peptides effectively inhibit multiple forms of Borrelia and cross the blood-brain barrier model.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Evidence for the Presence ofMicroorganisms · 2024Article
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- Secreted Metabolites fromMicroorganisms · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- Antigenicity and immunogenicity of different morphological forms of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- MAD-microbial (origin of) Alzheimer's disease hypothesis: from infection and the antimicrobial response to disruption of key copper-based systems.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Review
- Members of the paralogous gene family 12 from the Lyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferi are non-specific DNA-binding proteins.PloS one · 2024Article
- Biofilm Formation inMicroorganisms · 2023Article
- Pathogenicity and virulence ofVirulence · 2023Review
- Global transcriptomic analysis of breast cancer and normal mammary epithelial cells infected with Borrelia burgdorferi.European journal of microbiology & immunology · 2023Article
- Article
- Borrelia burgdorferi-A Bacterium Worthy of Consideration in Culture-Negative Prosthetic Joint Infection.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2023Article
- Article
- The Use of Natural Bioactive Nutraceuticals in the Management of Tick-Borne Illnesses.Microorganisms · 2023Review
- Disruption of Established Bacterial and Fungal Biofilms by a Blend of Enzymes and Botanical Extracts.Journal of microbiology and biotechnology · 2023Article
- Pleomorphic Variants ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- A Synthetic Polymicrobial Community Biofilm Model Demonstrates Spatial Partitioning, Tolerance to Antimicrobial Treatment, Reduced Metabolism, and Small Colony Variants Typical of Chronic Wound Biofilms.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
18 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, has long been known to be capable of forming aggregates and colonies. It was recently demonstrated that Borrelia burgdorferi aggregate formation dramatically changes the in vitro response to hostile environments by this pathogen. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that these aggregates are indeed biofilms, structures whose resistance to unfavorable conditions are well documented. We studied Borrelia burgdorferi for several known hallmark features of biofilm, including structural rearrangements in the aggregates, variations in development on various substrate matrices and secretion of a protective extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix using several modes of microscopic, cell and molecular biology techniques. The atomic force microscopic results provided evidence that multilevel rearrangements take place at different stages of aggregate development, producing a complex, continuously rearranging structure. Our results also demonstrated that Borrelia burgdorferi is capable of developing aggregates on different abiotic and biotic substrates, and is also capable of forming floating aggregates. Analyzing the extracellular substance of the aggregates for potential exopolysaccharides revealed the existence of both sulfated and non-sulfated/carboxylated substrates, predominately composed of an alginate with calcium and extracellular DNA present. In summary, we have found substantial evidence that Borrelia burgdorferi is capable of forming biofilm in vitro. Biofilm formation by Borrelia species might play an important role in their survival in diverse environmental conditions by providing refuge to individual cells.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.