Microbes in nature live collaboratively in adherent communities, known as biofilms. Biofilms can be contextually beneficial or detrimental. In medical implants, biofilms cause infections leading to additional healthcare costs of billions of dollars. Studies have found that micro/nanoscale surface topography can significantly alter (i.e., promote or hinder) the process of biofilm formation. The formation of biofilm starts with planktonic microbes attach to the surface. To further understand the biophysical underpinning of this process, the effect of aligned nanoscale surface structures on microbial adhesion was studied. To this end, aligned nanofiber coating with controlled fiber diameter and edge-to-edge spacing were manufactured using the Spinneret-based Tunable Engineered Parameters (STEP) techniques. The effect of surface topography on bacterial near-surface motility was studied. The experimental results showed that the bacterial attachment and near-surface motion can be greatly impacted by surface topography. Furthermore, the finding was applied to ureteral stents. The results showed that the aligned nanofiber can significantly reduce the biofilm formation process on ureteral stents. / Master of Science / Many microbes in nature live in adherent communities called biofilm. Biofilms contain individual microbes inside polymeric matrix which protect them from environmental stressors such as antibiotics. Biofilms are a significant contributor to the infection of implantable medical devices, which leads to additional healthcare costs of billions of dollars annually in the U.S. alone. Studies have found that sub-micron scale surface topography can significantly promote or hinder biofilm formation; however, the exact mechanism remains poorly understood. To further understand this process, the effect of aligned nanoscale surface structures on microbial adhesion was studied.
The formation of microbial biofilm starts with swimming bacteria sensing the liquid-solid interface and attaching to the surface. Microbes are more likely to settle on a surface if a surface is favorable to attach. However, the decision-making process has not been fully understood. Our experimental results showed that the bacterial attachment and near-surface motion can be greatly influenced by surface topography.
Furthermore, the finding was applied to ureteral stents, which is a type of medical implants used to maintain the flow of urine in the urinary tract. Ureteral stents serve great for medical purposes, but as foreign bodies, they also lead to urinary tract infection. The results showed that some types of aligned fiber coating increased microbial attachment density, while other types of aligned fiber coating reduced the bacterial surface coverage by up to 80%, which provides directions for future studies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/104040 |
| Date | 03 January 2020 |
| Creators | Wang, Yiying |
| Contributors | Mechanical Engineering, Behkam, Bahareh, Paul, Mark R., Nain, Amrinder |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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