Minimum information guideline for spectrophotometric and fluorometric methods to assess biofilm formation in microplates
Jontana Allkja,
Thomas Bjarnsholt,
Tom Coenye,
Paul Cos,
Adyary Fallarero,
Joe J. Harrison,
Susana P. Lopes,
Antonio Oliver,
Maria Olivia Pereira,
Gordon Ramage,
Mark E. Shirtliff,
Paul Stoodley,
Jeremy S. Webb,
Sebastian A.J. Zaat,
Darla M. Goeres,
Nuno Filipe Azevedo
Affiliations
Jontana Allkja
LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; Montana State University, Center for Biofilm Engineering, 366 Barnard Hall, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
Thomas Bjarnsholt
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Rigshospitalet, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Costerton Biofilm Center, Faculty of Health Sciences University of Copenhagen, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark; ESCMID Study Group for Biofilms, Basel, Switzerland
Tom Coenye
ESCMID Study Group for Biofilms, Basel, Switzerland; Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Paul Cos
Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Adyary Fallarero
Pharmaceutical Design and Discovery (PharmDD), Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5E, P.O. Box 56, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
Joe J. Harrison
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
Susana P. Lopes
Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB), Laboratório de Investigação Em Biofilmes Rosário Oliveira (LIBRO), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
Antonio Oliver
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Illes Balears (IdISBa), Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Maria Olivia Pereira
Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB), Laboratório de Investigação Em Biofilmes Rosário Oliveira (LIBRO), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
Gordon Ramage
Oral Sciences Research Group, University of Glasgow Dental School, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom; ESCMID Study Group for Biofilms, Basel, Switzerland
Mark E. Shirtliff
Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
Paul Stoodley
Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity and Orthopedics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; National Centre for Advanced Tribiology at Southampton (nCATS), Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK; National Biofilms Innovation Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
Jeremy S. Webb
National Biofilms Innovation Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
Sebastian A.J. Zaat
Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Meibergdreef 9, 1105AZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Darla M. Goeres
Montana State University, Center for Biofilm Engineering, 366 Barnard Hall, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA; Corresponding author.
Nuno Filipe Azevedo
LEPABE - Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
The lack of reproducibility of published studies is one of the major issues facing the scientific community, and the field of biofilm microbiology has been no exception. One effective strategy against this multifaceted problem is the use of minimum information guidelines. This strategy provides a guide for authors and reviewers on the necessary information that a manuscript should include for the experiments in a study to be clearly interpreted and independently reproduced. As a result of several discussions between international groups working in the area of biofilms, we present a guideline for the spectrophotometric and fluorometric assessment of biofilm formation in microplates. This guideline has been divided into 5 main sections, each presenting a comprehensive set of recommendations. The intention of the minimum information guideline is to improve the quality of scientific communication that will augment interlaboratory reproducibility in biofilm microplate assays.
