Biofilms on instruments and environmental surfaces: Do they interfere with instrument reprocessing and surface disinfection? Review of the literature

There is a growing appreciation for the role of biofilm-embedded microbes in many different aspects of infection transmission. The format of biofilm includes traditional hydrated biofilm, build-up biofilm, and dry surface biofilm. The objectives of this article are to discuss how traditional biofilm differs from build-up biofilm and dry surface biofilm, and to review the evidence supporting infection transmission from biofilm that accumulates in reprocessed instruments and from dry biofilm that forms environmental reservoirs. (C) 2019 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.