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New horizons for cutaneous microbiology: the role of biofilms in dermatological disease.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Vlassova, N; Han, A; Zenilman, JM; James, G; Lazarus, GS
Published in: Br J Dermatol
October 2011

Human skin is colonized by bacteria. The development of new genomic microbiological techniques has revealed that the bacterial ecology of human skin is far more complex than previously imagined and includes many fastidious or noncultivable bacterial species which are found on both normal and diseased skin. In nature, the predominant bacterial phenotype on epithelial surfaces is that of organisms organized within a biofilm. This contrasts with the widely held belief that bacteria are planktonic, i.e. free-floating single cells. Biofilms are sessile bacterial communities encased in an extracellular matrix that have a well-developed communication system and can regulate bacterial growth and metabolism, confer resistance to antimicrobials and to host inflammatory cells, and alter host metabolism. Biofilms have been observed on healthy skin and in a number of dermatological conditions, including some that were previously thought not to have an infectious aetiology. Here we review the concept of biofilms and their role in cutaneous health and disease.

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Published In

Br J Dermatol

DOI

EISSN

1365-2133

Publication Date

October 2011

Volume

165

Issue

4

Start / End Page

751 / 759

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Skin Diseases, Bacterial
  • Skin
  • Onychomycosis
  • Miliaria
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Impetigo
  • Humans
  • Furunculosis
  • Dermatology & Venereal Diseases
  • Dermatitis, Atopic
 

Citation

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Vlassova, N., Han, A., Zenilman, J. M., James, G., & Lazarus, G. S. (2011). New horizons for cutaneous microbiology: the role of biofilms in dermatological disease. Br J Dermatol, 165(4), 751–759. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2011.10458.x
Vlassova, N., A. Han, J. M. Zenilman, G. James, and G. S. Lazarus. “New horizons for cutaneous microbiology: the role of biofilms in dermatological disease.Br J Dermatol 165, no. 4 (October 2011): 751–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2011.10458.x.
Vlassova N, Han A, Zenilman JM, James G, Lazarus GS. New horizons for cutaneous microbiology: the role of biofilms in dermatological disease. Br J Dermatol. 2011 Oct;165(4):751–9.
Vlassova, N., et al. “New horizons for cutaneous microbiology: the role of biofilms in dermatological disease.Br J Dermatol, vol. 165, no. 4, Oct. 2011, pp. 751–59. Pubmed, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2011.10458.x.
Vlassova N, Han A, Zenilman JM, James G, Lazarus GS. New horizons for cutaneous microbiology: the role of biofilms in dermatological disease. Br J Dermatol. 2011 Oct;165(4):751–759.
Journal cover image

Published In

Br J Dermatol

DOI

EISSN

1365-2133

Publication Date

October 2011

Volume

165

Issue

4

Start / End Page

751 / 759

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Skin Diseases, Bacterial
  • Skin
  • Onychomycosis
  • Miliaria
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Impetigo
  • Humans
  • Furunculosis
  • Dermatology & Venereal Diseases
  • Dermatitis, Atopic