The biofilm lifestyle mode certainly represents one of the most successful behaviors to facilitate bacterial survival in diverse inhospitable environments. Conversely, the ability of bacteria to develop effective biofilms represents one of the major obstacles in the fight against bacterial infections. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the biofilm formation is intimately connected to the quorum sensing (QS) mechanisms, a mode of cell-to-cell communication that allows many bacteria to detect their population density in order to coordinate common actions. In this chapter, we propose an overview (i) on P. aeruginosa QS mechanisms and their implication in biofilm formation, and (ii) on natural products that are known to interfere with these QS mechanisms, subsequently disrupting biofilm formation. The concluding remarks focus on perspectives of these compounds as possible antibiotherapy adjuvants.
Part of the book: Bacterial Biofilms
In order to evaluate the efficacy of the root bark powder of Oldfieldia dactylophylla (Welw. ex Oliv.) J. Léonard (a Picrodendraceae), 32 locally breed grazing goats naturally infested with various gastrointestinal helminths were randomly assigned to four groups of eight animals: one untreated control, one positive control group treated with a reference anthelmintic (albendazole, 5 mg/kg), and two groups treated per os with O. dactylophylla root bark powder (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, respectively). Four doses of these respective treatments were administered monthly. To evaluate parasitological, blood and zootechnical parameters, samples were taken on day 0, just before administration of the first treatment and on 14, 31, 45, 62, 76, 92 and day 126. O. dactylophylla was effective on day 14 after treatment with 69% strongle egg fecal excretion (both doses) versus 90% albendazole. However, efficacy was stabilized at 85, 86 and 89% for O. dactylophylla (100 and 200 mg/kg) and albendazole, respectively. These data support the ethnoveterinary use of this plant in the control of digestive parasitism in goat breeding. However, phytochemical studies support that the plant should make contributions to human studies in the future.
Part of the book: Intestinal Parasites - New Developments in Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention and Future Directions [Working title]