This article reviews the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion to biomaterial surfaces, the factors affecting the adhesion, the techniques used in estimating bacteria-material interactions and the models that have been developed in order to predict adhesion. The process of bacterial adhesion includes an initial physicochemical interaction phase and a late molecular and cellular one. It is a complicated process influenced by many factors, including the bacterial properties, the material surface characteristics, the environmental factors, such as the presence of serum proteins and the associated flow conditions. Two categories of techniques used in estimating bacteria-material interactions are described: those that utilize fluid flowing against the adhered bacteria and counting the percentage of bacteria that detach, and those that manipulate single bacteria in various configurations which lend themselves to more specific force application and provide the basis for theoretical analysis of the receptor-ligand interactions. The theories that are reviewed are the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory, the thermodynamic approach and the extended DLVO theory. Over the years, significant work has been done to investigate the process of bacterial adhesion to biomaterial surfaces, however a lot of questions still remain unanswered.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global crisis with an increasing number of untreatable or exceedingly difficult-to-treat bacterial infections, due to their growing resistance to existing drugs. It is predicted that AMR will be the leading cause of death by 2050. In addition to ongoing efforts on preventive strategies and infection control, there is ongoing research towards the development of novel vaccines, antimicrobial agents, and optimised diagnostic practices to address AMR. However, developing new therapeutic agents and medicines can be a lengthy process. Therefore, there is a parallel ongoing worldwide effort to develop materials for optimised drug delivery to improve efficacy and minimise AMR. Examples of such materials include functionalisation of surfaces so that they can become self-disinfecting or non-fouling, and the development of nanoparticles with promising antimicrobial properties attributed to their ability to damage numerous essential components of pathogens. A relatively new class of materials, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), is also being investigated for their ability to act as carriers of antimicrobial agents, because of their ultrahigh porosity and modular structures, which can be engineered to control the delivery mechanism of loaded drugs. Biodegradable polymers have also been found to show promising applications as antimicrobial carriers; and, recently, several studies have been reported on delivery of antimicrobial drugs using composites of MOF and biodegradable polymers. This review article reflects on MOFs and polymer–MOF composites, as carriers and delivery agents of antimicrobial drugs, that have been studied recently, and provides an overview of the state of the art in this highly topical area of research.