A Review of Challenges and Solutions of Biofilm Formation of Escherichia coli: Conventional and Novel Methods of Prevention and Control

Abstract

E. coli is a virulent and opportunistic pathogen with the ability of antibiotic-resistant. In general, E. coli can form the biofilm on food, surfaces, and equipment of the food industry. The high resistance of biofilm to chemical disinfectants has become a big concern for the food industry nowadays due to existence of extracellular polymer. Therefore, many studies were performed for the examination of factors related to biofilm development and destruction specifically for E. coli. The main focus of the present article is an overview of studies related to current chemical, physical, and natural methods as well as nanotechnology in order to control and remove the biofilm of E. coli. It is important to choose a safe, less toxic, and eco-friendly method to combat biofilm of E. coli. Compared with different strategies, it can be said that natural methods (bacteriophages, enzymes, organic acids, and essential oils), physical procedure (electrolyzed water, plasma, and irradiation), and nanotechnology are introduced as appropriate and suitable approaches in different investigations.