Biofilms – The Culprit of Chronic Infection

Biofilms are at the very heart of most – if not all – chronic infections. Conditions such as Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), recurring yeast infections, recurring Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs), etc. are all related to biofilm presence, which shields the pathogens from being destroyed by antifungals or antibiotics that you ingest. 

Here are some scenarios in which you should be considering biofilm disruption.

• • Infections that have been present for a long time: These use up the T-cell clones whose receptors were best matched for that pathogen, leaving the body unable to target those pathogens as a result of the chronicity of the infection. 
  • Chronic infections that always respond to the same agent: In other words, if every time you get a yeast infection your doctor gives you fluconazole and the infection clears up, this tells you that biofilms are most likely present.
  • Elderly individuals: We lose our Th1 capacity as we age, which means we are less able to mount a response against pathogens.
  • Stressed individuals: stress triggers apoptosis of Th1 and natural killer cells
  • Allergic/Asthmatic individuals: People with these conditions tend to be Th2 dominant, which triggers recurring infections. 
  • Inflamed individuals: People with inflammation make more myeloid-derived suppressor cells which, again, trigger apoptosis of Th1 and natural killer cells.
  • Neutrophilia: This leads to HNE elevation (apoptotic inducer) which creates a dendritic cell shift toward expression more TGFb.
  • It is very common for people who get knee or hip replacements to have biofilm formation around that site so an elderly person who is inflamed and/or stressed and who needs a catheter or knee replacement is at a much higher risk of developing a biofilm around those sites and ending up with persistent infection.

To learn more on biofilms and how they affect you, and protocols to destroy and clear them, head to www.holisticspring.org!