Polymicrobial Biofilm Dynamics of Multidrug-Resistant Candida albicans and Ampicillin-Resistant Escherichia coli and Antimicrobial Inhibition by Aqueous Garlic Extract

Abstract

The polymicrobial biofilm of <i>C. albicans</i> with <i>E. coli</i> exhibits a dynamic interspecies interaction and is refractory to conventional antimicrobials. In this study, a high biofilm-forming multidrug-resistant strain of <i>C. albicans</i> overcomes inhibition by <i>E. coli</i> in a 24 h coculture. However, following treatment with whole Aqueous Garlic Extract (AGE), these individual biofilms of multidrug-resistant <i>C. albicans</i> M-207 and Ampicillin-resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> ATCC 39936 and their polymicrobial biofilm were prevented, as evidenced by biochemical and structural characterization. This study advances the antimicrobial potential of AGE to inhibit drug-resistant <i>C. albicans</i> and bacterial-associated polymicrobial biofilms, suggesting the potential for effective combinatorial and synergistic antimicrobial designs with minimal side effects.