Determination of Tobramycin and Vancomycin Exposure Required to Eradicate Biofilms on Muscle and Bone Tissue In Vitro

Background: Bacterial biofilms cause chronic orthopaedic infections. Surgical debridement to remove biofilm can be ineffective without adjuvant local antimicrobials because undetected biofilm fragments may remain in the wound and reestablish the infection if untreated. However, the concentrations and duration of antimicrobial exposure necessary to eradicate bacteria from clinical biofilms remain largely undefined. In this study, we determined the minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) of tobramycin and vancomycin for bacterial biofilms grown on bone and muscle in vitro.