ABSTRACT
Man-made materials are increasingly being used as substitutes for damaged tissues in human hosts. At the current state of the art, however, biomaterials provide an adhesive substrata for bacteria and somehow diminish host defense and integration response, increasing the risk of infection. In addition, biomaterial-centered infections are resistant to antimicrobial treatment and often require that the device be removed before the infection can be eradicated. A greater understanding of the characteristics of and interactions between biomaterial surfaces, bacteria, tissue cells, and host defense mechanisms is required before long-term successful use of biomaterials can be achieved. In the future, advanced techniques such as ion implantation will be used to create biomaterial surfaces which will “direct” interactions with constituents of the surrounding biologic environment.
