Multiple Drug-Induced Stress Responses Inhibit Formation of Escherichia coli Biofilms

Abstract

The prevention of bacterial biofilm formation is one of the major current challenges in microbiology. Here, by systematically screening a large number of approved drugs for their ability to suppress biofilm formation by Escherichia coli , we identified a number of prospective antibiofilm compounds. We further demonstrated different mechanisms of action for individual compounds, from induction of replicative stress to disbalance of cation homeostasis to inhibition of bacterial attachment to the surface. Our work demonstrates the potential of drug repurposing for the prevention of bacterial biofilm formation and suggests that also for other bacteria, the activity spectrum of antibiofilm compounds is likely to be broad.