, 2010). In

this study, the biofilm bacterins containing extracellular polysaccharide matrix conferred higher immunoprotection than the free cell bacterins after a challenge infection with the highly virulent SS strain. A major constituent of the biofilm homopolymer matrix has been named polysaccharide intercellular adhesin in S. epidermidis (Mack et al., 1996) and poly-N-acetyl b-1,6 glucosamine in S. aureus (Maira-Litran et al., 2002). Biofilms take advantage of the nutrient concentrating effect and can gain protection against predators and toxic agents Doramapimod (Beveridge et al., 1997). This protective nature of bacterial biofilms was exploited for the development of an effective vaccine that can facilitate improved antigen delivery. This may explain why the encapsulated glycocalyx biofilm possibly protects antigens and thus provides a large pool of antigens to lymphoid organs compared with free cells, which can facilitate longer retention of antigens in the lymphoid tissue and might CHIR-99021 clinical trial result in an early and heightened primary antibody response. Biofilms and biofilm matrices used as vaccine components have been studied extensively. Some vaccines have been evaluated for efficacy against bacterial pathogens

by involving surface polysaccharides or encompassing inactivated bacteria and toxoids (Opdebeeck & Norcross, 1984). In addition, bacteria surrounded by a mucous substance (likely a biofilm matrix) termed as pseudocapsule (Watson & Davies, 1993) or slime (Ekstedt & Bernhard, 1973), capsular polysaccharides (Lee et al., 2005), and a mixture of slime in liposomes, toxoids, and different inactivated bacteria (Amorena et al., 1994) have been studied, which have been revealed to confer a significant degree of protection. Azad and colleagues have developed and evaluated an Aeromonas hydrophila biofilm for oral vaccination of carp that induced significantly higher antibody titers and protection compared with a free cell vaccine (Azad et al., 1999; Asha et al., 2004; Nayak et al., 2004). Therefore, we can presume that an SS biofilm vaccine could be a potentially

effective vaccine to control this pathogen. This work was supported by the National Natural ADP ribosylation factor Science Foundation of China (U0931002), Youth Foundation of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30800815), Cloning and Identification of the resistance genes of swine against major pathogenic microorganism (2009ZX08009-1546), Special Fund for Public Welfare Industry of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (200803016). “
“The biofilm phenotype is an increasingly important concept in mycological research. Recently, there has been a developing interest in whether Aspergillus species are truly able to form biofilms or not. Industrial mycologists have long been aware of biofilms and their benefit in fermentation processes, whereas clinically their role is uncertain.