Bacterial Endometritis: A Focus on Biofilms

Treatment of chronic bacterial endometritis with antimicrobials is often unsuccessful. Bacteria have developed multiple mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, including the production of biofilm. Biofilms are an extracellular matrix produced by a community of bacteria that provide antimicrobial resistance through prevention of antibiotic diffusion into the community of bacteria, a decrease in the metabolism of bacteria that increase their resistance to antimicrobial agents, and ultimately cultivate a population of ‘persister cells’ that are multi-drug resistant. Additionally biofilms prevent recognition of the infection by the host immune system by altering the movement and function of white blood cells, and preventing antibodies from binding to bacteria. Treatment with buffered chelators or hydrogen peroxide is unable to routinely disrupt in vitro preformed biofilms.  […]