Bacterial Biofilm Virulence on Hospital Plastic Surfaces: Mechanistic Insights, Persistence Drivers, and Infection Control Challenges

Abstract

The establishment of bacterial biofilms on plastic surfaces has become increasingly recognized as an important, yet understudied, contributor to the persistence of pathogens in clinical and community settings. The wide use of polymers, like polyethylene and polypropylene, in the manufacturing of medical devices and high-contact surfaces inside hospitals creates physicochemical interfaces that promote bacterial adhesion and biofilm development. In contrast to metals or glass, however, plastics contribute to hydrophobic and electrostatic deposition, rapid accumulation of host-derived proteins, and metabolic zonation in biofilm depth with an increased tolerance against antimicrobials while supporting long-term survival in the environment. Surface sensing of polymers is also a heterotypic signal that activates bacterial virulence programs and induces expression of toxins, proteases, hemolysins, siderophores, and motility determinants, which are in turn correlated with phenotypes for chronic infection. Biofilms aged on plastics serve as pathogen dissemination reservoirs by active dispersion, which leads to secondary infections and adds difficulty in infection control. Conventional disinfection modalities are mainly ineffective owing to the inadequate penetration of antimicrobials into EPS matrices and fast resurface recolonization. New developments illustrate the possibility of biofilm-aware interventions such as anti-adhesive materials designs, enzyme/peptide-coated surfaces, quorum-sensing inhibitors, phage-based therapies, UV-C exposure, and plasma treatments, as well as the manufacture of inherently antimicrobial/biocompatible/sustainable polymer alternatives. This review integrates existing mechanisms, clinical risk, and emergent infection preventive technologies, proposing that the next-generation biosafety guideline should ultimately center on the polymer–microbe–altitude of virulence axis to constrain biofilm resilience and inhibit pathogenic switching event upon plastic medical device surfaces.

Keywords:

Bacterial biofilms, Plastic surface colonization, Polyethylene & polypropylene, Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS),, Quorum sensing regulation, Virulence gene activation, Disinfectant tolerance

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