Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25725015›Full record

ReviewFEMS microbiology reviews2015

Viscoelasticity of biofilms and their recalcitrance to mechanical and chemical challenges.

Brandon W Peterson, Yan He, Yijin Ren, Aidan Zerdoum, Matthew R Libera, Prashant K Sharma, Arie-Jan van Winkelhoff, Danielle Neut, Paul Stoodley, Henny C van der Mei and 1 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in FEMS microbiology reviews, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 134 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
134citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

134 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  10. PF127 hydrogel-assisted in-situFrontiers in microbiology · 2026
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. New Cyclam-Based Fe(III) Complexes Coatings TargetingMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. How TiOInternational journal of nanomedicine · 2025
    Review

74 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Brandon W PetersonUniversity of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands.
Yan HeUniversity of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Orthodontics, Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
Yijin RenUniversity of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Orthodontics, Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
Aidan ZerdoumDepartment of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA.
Matthew R LiberaDepartment of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA.
Prashant K SharmaUniversity of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands.
Arie-Jan van WinkelhoffUniversity of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Center for Dentistry and Oral Hygiene, Anatonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Medical Microbiology, Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Danielle NeutUniversity of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands.
Paul StoodleyDepartments of Microbial Infection and Immunity and Orthopedics, Center for Microbial Interface Biology, The Ohio State University, 460 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA National Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS), Engineering Sciences, University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
Henny C van der MeiUniversity of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands h.c.van.der.mei@umcg.nl.
Henk J BusscherUniversity of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

We summarize different studies describing mechanisms through which bacteria in a biofilm mode of growth resist mechanical and chemical challenges. Acknowledging previous microscopic work describing voids and channels in biofilms that govern a biofilms response to such challenges, we advocate a more quantitative approach that builds on the relation between structure and composition of materials with their viscoelastic properties. Biofilms possess features of both viscoelastic solids and liquids, like skin or blood, and stress relaxation of biofilms has been found to be a corollary of their structure and composition, including the EPS matrix and bacterial interactions. Review of the literature on viscoelastic properties of biofilms in ancient and modern environments as well as of infectious biofilms reveals that the viscoelastic properties of a biofilm relate with antimicrobial penetration in a biofilm. In addition, also the removal of biofilm from surfaces appears governed by the viscoelasticity of a biofilm. Herewith, it is established that the viscoelasticity of biofilms, as a corollary of structure and composition, performs a role in their protection against mechanical and chemical challenges. Pathways are discussed to make biofilms more susceptible to antimicrobials by intervening with their viscoelasticity, as a quantifiable expression of their structure and composition.

Indexed as

Environmental MicrobiologyAnti-Infective AgentsBiofilmsMicrobial ViabilityViscosityAnti-Infective Agentsantimicrobial penetrationbiofilmdetachmentextracellular polymeric substances (EPS)structureviscoelasticity

Identifiers

PMID25725015
PMCPMC4398279

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.