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the development of biofilm related infections. 19 This high prevalence of biofilm<br />
related infections is particularly problematic given the fact that bacteria in biofilms<br />
can be up to 1000-fold more resistant to antibiotics. 23 In industry, biofilms have been<br />
implicated e.g. in the contamination of installations in food industry, mild steel<br />
corrosion, decreased passage through pipelines by colonization of the interior of the<br />
pipes, and enhanced resistance of vessels by initiation of “biofouling” on the vessel<br />
hulls. The yearly economic loss caused by ‘biofouling’ in the marine industry is<br />
estimated at $ 6.5 billion. 24<br />
One way to deal with this problem is the development of small molecules that are able<br />
to prevent or destroy biofilm formation 25 . Only a few molecular scaffolds have been<br />
identified to date, among which the best-studied examples are (1) the halogenated<br />
furanones, which were originally isolated from the seaweed Delisea pulchra, 26-27 (2)<br />
analogues of the homoserine lactone signalling molecules 28 and (3) analogues of the<br />
sponge-derived marine natural alkaloids oroidin and bromoageliferin. 29-36 A<br />
particularly valuable approach is the development of small molecules that specifically<br />
target the biofilm formation in a non-toxic manner, as it is expected that resistance<br />
against these compounds will emerge much slower than against classical<br />
microbiocidal compounds. As a consequence, non-toxic biofilm inhibitors have the<br />
potential to be used in a preventive treatment of a wide diversity of industrial and<br />
medical surfaces. Furthermore, the potential to co-dose biofilm inhibitors and<br />
classical antibiotics for the treatment of biofilm infections is also an attractive<br />
option. 27<br />
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are two well<br />
studied organisms in terms of biofilm formation. Salmonella enterica is worldwide<br />
one of the most important causes of foodborne infections. Salmonella is able to form<br />
biofilms on a variety of both biotic surfaces (such as gallstones, 37 plant surfaces, 38-39<br />
and epithelial cell layers 40 ) and abiotic surfaces (such as concrete, plastics, glass,<br />
polystyrene, … ) 41-42 . These biofilms are an important survival strategy in all stages<br />
of infection, from transmission to chronic infection. Severe non-typhoid Salmonella<br />
infections are commonly treated with fluoroquinolones and third-generation<br />
cephalosporins. Unfortunately, there are alarming reports concerning the development<br />
of resistance against these antibiotics 43 , underlining the urgent need of alternative<br />
anti-Salmonella strategies. Given the importance of biofilms in the spread of<br />
Salmonella, the development of Salmonella biofilm inhibitors seems a promising