ArticlePloS one2014
Beta- lactam antibiotics stimulate biofilm formation in non-typeable haemophilus influenzae by up-regulating carbohydrate metabolism.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 27 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.
The trial behind it
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- Synergistic biofilm formation by the coexistence of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis reduces amoxicillin efficacy.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- Surveillance of epidemiological characteristics and temporal trends in antimicrobial resistance of Haemophilus influenzae in pediatric lower respiratory tract infections (2021-2024).Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Ampicillin promotes the biofilm formation ofMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Exploring ex vivo biofilm dynamics: consequences of low ampicillin concentrations on the human oral microbiome.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2024Article
- Effect of anti-biofilm peptideFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Article
- The Burden of Survivors: How Can Phage Infection Impact Non-Infected Bacteria?International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Epidemic Trends and Biofilm Formation Mechanisms of Haemophilus influenzae: Insights into Clinical Implications and Prevention Strategies.Infection and drug resistance · 2023Review
- Biofilm formation of two genetically diverseFrontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Impact of Subinhibitory Concentrations of Metronidazole on Morphology, Motility, Biofilm Formation and Colonization ofAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- In Vitro Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Biofilm-Growing Bacteria: Current and Emerging Methods.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2022Review
- Real-time PCR has advantages over culture-based methods in identifying major airway bacterial pathogens in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Results from three clinical studies in Europe and North America.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- Wolf in Sheep's Clothing:Microorganisms · 2021Review
- Biofilm regulation in Clostridioides difficile: Novel systems linked to hypervirulence.PLoS pathogens · 2021Review
- Transcriptome Signatures inMicroorganisms · 2021Article
- The Role of Non-TypeableFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021Review
- The efficacy of photodynamic inactivation with laser diode onInfectious disease reports · 2020Article
- Biofilms: The Microbial "Protective Clothing" in Extreme Environments.International journal of molecular sciences · 2019Review
- Article
- Identification and Characterization of Novel Antimicrobial Peptide from Hippocampus comes by In Silico and Experimental Studies.Marine biotechnology (New York, N.Y.) · 2018Article
- Peptide dendrimers as "lead compounds" for the treatment of chronic lung infections byInfection and drug resistance · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
9 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a common acute otitis media pathogen, with an incidence that is increased by previous antibiotic treatment. NTHi is also an emerging causative agent of other chronic infections in humans, some linked to morbidity, and all of which impose substantial treatment costs. In this study we explore the possibility that antibiotic exposure may stimulate biofilm formation by NTHi bacteria. We discovered that sub-inhibitory concentrations of beta-lactam antibiotic (i.e., amounts that partially inhibit bacterial growth) stimulated the biofilm-forming ability of NTHi strains, an effect that was strain and antibiotic dependent. When exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of beta-lactam antibiotics NTHi strains produced tightly packed biofilms with decreased numbers of culturable bacteria but increased biomass. The ratio of protein per unit weight of biofilm decreased as a result of antibiotic exposure. Antibiotic-stimulated biofilms had altered ultrastructure, and genes involved in glycogen production and transporter function were up regulated in response to antibiotic exposure. Down-regulated genes were linked to multiple metabolic processes but not those involved in stress response. Antibiotic-stimulated biofilm bacteria were more resistant to a lethal dose (10 µg/mL) of cefuroxime. Our results suggest that beta-lactam antibiotic exposure may act as a signaling molecule that promotes transformation into the biofilm phenotype. Loss of viable bacteria, increase in biofilm biomass and decreased protein production coupled with a concomitant up-regulation of genes involved with glycogen production might result in a biofilm of sessile, metabolically inactive bacteria sustained by stored glycogen. These biofilms may protect surviving bacteria from subsequent antibiotic challenges, and act as a reservoir of viable bacteria once antibiotic exposure has ended.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.