Immersed boundary approach to biofilm spread on surfaces

TL;DR

This paper introduces a computational framework to simulate bacterial biofilm growth, spread, and response to antibiotics, capturing cell dynamics and environmental interactions to better understand biofilm behavior.

Contribution

A novel immersed boundary computational model that simulates biofilm development, environmental effects, and antibiotic action with detailed cell-environment interactions.

Findings

Antibiotic cocktails can eradicate biofilms in simulations.

The model captures growth, division, and death of bacteria based on environmental factors.

Simulations show biofilm evolution and response to treatments.

Abstract

We propose a computational framework to study the growth and spread of bacterial biofilms on interfaces, as well as the action of antibiotics on them. Bacterial membranes are represented by boundaries immersed in a fluid matrix and subject to interaction forces. Growth, division and death of bacterial cells follow dynamic energy budget rules, in response to variations in environmental concentrations of nutrients, toxicants and substances released by the cells. In this way, we create, destroy and enlarge boundaries, either spherical or rod-like. Appropriate forces represent details of the interaction between cells, and the interaction with the environment. Numerical simulations illustrate the evolution of top views and diametral slices of small biofilm seeds, as well as the action of antibiotics. We show that cocktails of antibiotics targeting active and dormant cells can entirely eradicate a biofilm.