Nanostructure-biofilm interactions : a study of Candida albicans biofilm behaviors on different polymer surfaces with nanoscale surface modifications
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Snehal Shah (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Dennis LaJeunesse
Abstract: There are over a million fungal species on earth and only 300 of them are known to mankind. The dimorphic fungus, Candida albicans, is a part of the human microbiome. It is normally found in the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, and skin. Under normal circumstances, the yeast Candida albicans is nonpathogenic. But it is known to become pathogenic in patients with an immunocompromised system and cause infections that can be superficial or life-threatening. Systemic Candida infections are a major concern to global health costing millions of lives and billions of dollars annually. Traditionally, antifungal drugs like polyenes and azoles are used to treat Candida biofilm infections. However, over the past few decades, Candida spp. have adapted and acquired resistance to antifungal drugs which has necessitated a dire need to develop alternate antifungal treatments. There are a lot of factors that cause pathogenicity and virulence in Candida albicans cells, the most important one being the ability of the cells to adhere to surfaces and form biofilms. Candida biofilm infections are the major cause of high mortality rates in Hospital Acquired infections (HAI`s). Fungal cells are known to adhere to the surfaces of medical equipment like catheters and implants, form biofilms and eventually lead to systemic antibiotic resistant infections or device failure. Technological advancements in the recent years have led to the development of alternate antifungal treatments such as surface modifications using naturally occurring antifungals and small molecules, use of intrinsically antifungal surfaces, nanoparticles etc. Microbial rupture upon exposure to nanostructured surfaces (NSS) has gained a lot of interest over the years as a potential antifungal treatment. However, the basic mechanism of how these treatments tackle fungi is unexplored. My research is focused on understanding the effects of changing surface chemistries on the adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation of Candida albicans cells. My results show that plasma treatment changes the surface chemistry of common plastics like Polystyrene, Polydimethylsiloxane and Ultrahigh molecular weight Polyethylene. I have defined the parameters of surface chemistries which affect initial adhesion of Candida albicans cells on these surfaces. I also investigated how these changes affect cell wall composition and mitochondrial function of the drug resistant strains of Candida albicans. Preliminary results from an initial genotypic study which was conducted based on the previous work and observations done by our lab, showed that interaction of Candida albicans cells with surfaces with altered chemistries yield changes to the expression of certain genes. The long-term goal of my study is to establish definite parameters which affect cellular adhesion and biofilm formation to be able to develop better antifungal treatments.
Nanostructure-biofilm interactions : a study of Candida albicans biofilm behaviors on different polymer surfaces with nanoscale surface modifications
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Created on 5/1/2023
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2023
- Keywords
- Adhesion, Candida albicans, Drug resistant, Plasma etching
- Subjects
- Candida albicans
- Biofilms
- Nanostructures
- Antifungal agents