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Staphylococcus aureus biofilm on an indwelling catheterProbable cyanobacteria in the vertical section of a silicified biofilm from the Lower Cretaceous. Very shallow hypersaline environment of the Urgonian carbonate platform of Provence, south eastern France.
IUPAC definition
Aggregate of microorganisms in which cells that are frequently embedded within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) adhere to each other and/or to a surface.
A biofilm is a system that can be adapted internally to environmental conditions by its inhabitants.
The self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances, which is also referred to as slime, is a polymeric conglomeration generally composed of extracellular biopolymers in various structural forms.[1]
A biofilm is a syntrophic community of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and often also to a surface.[2][3] These adherent cells become embedded within a slimy extracellular matrix that is composed of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs).[2][3] The cells within the biofilm produce the EPS components, which are typically a polymeric combination of extracellular polysaccharides, proteins, lipids and DNA.[2][3][4] Because they have a three-dimensional structure and represent a community lifestyle for microorganisms, they have been metaphorically described as "cities for microbes".[5][6]
Biofilms may form on living (biotic) or non-living (abiotic) surfaces and can be common in natural, industrial, and hospital settings.[3][7] They may constitute a microbiome or be a portion of it. The microbial cells growing in a biofilm are physiologically distinct from planktonic cells of the same organism, which, by contrast, are single cells that may float or swim in a liquid medium.[8] Biofilms can form on the teeth of most animals as dental plaque, where they may cause tooth decay and gum disease.
Microbes form a biofilm in response to a number of different factors,[9] which may include cellular recognition of specific or non-specific attachment sites on a surface, nutritional cues, or in some cases, by exposure of planktonic cells to sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics.[10][11] A cell that switches to the biofilm mode of growth undergoes a phenotypic shift in behavior in which large suites of genes are differentially regulated.[12]
A biofilm may also be considered a hydrogel, which is a complex polymer that contains many times its dry weight in water. Biofilms are not just bacterial slime layers but biological systems; the bacteria organize themselves into a coordinated functional community. Biofilms can attach to a surface such as a tooth or rock, and may include a single species or a diverse group of microorganisms. Subpopulations of cells within the biofilm differentiate to perform various activities for motility, matrix production, and sporulation, supporting the overall success of the biofilm.[13] The biofilm bacteria can share nutrients and are sheltered from harmful factors in the environment, such as desiccation, antibiotics, and a host body's immune system. A biofilm usually begins to form when a free-swimming, planktonic bacterium attaches to a surface.[14][page needed]
^Vert M, Doi Y, Hellwich KH, Hess M, Hodge P, Kubisa P, et al. (2012). "Terminology for biorelated polymers and applications (IUPAC Recommendations 2012)". Pure and Applied Chemistry. 84 (2): 377–410. doi:10.1351/PAC-REC-10-12-04.
^ abcLópez D, Vlamakis H, Kolter R (July 2010). "Biofilms". Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. 2 (7): a000398. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a000398. PMC 2890205. PMID 20519345.
^ abcdHall-Stoodley L, Costerton JW, Stoodley P (February 2004). "Bacterial biofilms: from the natural environment to infectious diseases". Nature Reviews. Microbiology. 2 (2): 95–108. doi:10.1038/nrmicro821. PMID 15040259. S2CID 9107205.
^Aggarwal S, Stewart PS, Hozalski RM (January 2016). "Biofilm Cohesive Strength as a Basis for Biofilm Recalcitrance: Are Bacterial Biofilms Overdesigned?". Microbiology Insights. 8 (Suppl 2): 29–32. doi:10.4137/MBI.S31444. PMC 4718087. PMID 26819559.
^Watnick P, Kolter R (May 2000). "Biofilm, city of microbes". Journal of Bacteriology. 182 (10): 2675–9. doi:10.1128/jb.182.10.2675-2679.2000. PMC 101960. PMID 10781532.
^"Building Codes for Bacterial Cities | Quanta Magazine". Quanta Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
^Lear G, Lewis GD, eds. (2012). Microbial Biofilms: Current Research and Applications. Caister Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-904455-96-7.
^O'Toole GA, Kolter R (May 1998). "Initiation of biofilm formation in Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS365 proceeds via multiple, convergent signalling pathways: a genetic analysis". Molecular Microbiology. 28 (3): 449–61. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2958.1998.00797.x. PMID 9632250. S2CID 43897816.
^O'Toole GA, Kolter R (October 1998). "Flagellar and twitching motility are necessary for Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm development". Molecular Microbiology. 30 (2): 295–304. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2958.1998.01062.x. PMID 9791175. S2CID 25140899.
^Karatan E, Watnick P (June 2009). "Signals, regulatory networks, and materials that build and break bacterial biofilms". Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. 73 (2): 310–47. doi:10.1128/MMBR.00041-08. PMC 2698413. PMID 19487730.
^Hoffman LR, D'Argenio DA, MacCoss MJ, Zhang Z, Jones RA, Miller SI (August 2005). "Aminoglycoside antibiotics induce bacterial biofilm formation". Nature. 436 (7054): 1171–5. Bibcode:2005Natur.436.1171H. doi:10.1038/nature03912. PMID 16121184. S2CID 4404961. (primary source)
^An D, Parsek MR (June 2007). "The promise and peril of transcriptional profiling in biofilm communities". Current Opinion in Microbiology. 10 (3): 292–6. doi:10.1016/j.mib.2007.05.011. PMID 17573234.
^Momeni B (June 2018). "Division of Labor: How Microbes Split Their Responsibility". Current Biology. 28 (12): R697–R699. Bibcode:2018CBio...28.R697M. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.024. PMID 29920261. S2CID 49315067.
^Case C, Funke B, Tortora G. Microbiology An Introduction (tenth ed.).
polymeric substances (EPSs) adhere to each other and/or to a surface. A biofilm is a system that can be adapted internally to environmental conditions...
Moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) is a type of wastewater treatment process that was first invented by Professor Hallvard Ødegaard at Norwegian University...
is capable of extensive colonization, and can aggregate into enduring biofilms. The word Pseudomonas means "false unit", from the Greek pseudēs (Greek:...
Biofilm formation occurs when free floating microorganisms attach themselves to a surface. Although there are some beneficial uses of biofilms, they are...
Dental plaque is a biofilm of microorganisms (mostly bacteria, but also fungi) that grows on surfaces within the mouth. It is a sticky colorless deposit...
communities of adhered cells called biofilms. A matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) within the biofilm forms sticky coatings on individual...
SCOBY. In its most common form, SCOBY is a gelatinous, cellulose-based biofilm or microbial mat found floating at the container's air-liquid interface...
Phototrophic biofilms are microbial communities generally comprising both phototrophic microorganisms, which use light as their energy source, and chemoheterotrophs...
of biofilms, and are considered the fundamental component that determines the physicochemical properties of a biofilm. EPS in the matrix of biofilms provides...
aureus embedded in biofilms. A class of enzymes have been found to have biofilm matrix-degrading ability, thus may be used as biofilm dispersal agents in...
aggregations in thick layers called biofilms. There has been a great effort to develop efficient methods for biofilm removal or prevention in clinical and...
with catheters or other surgical implants because it is known to form biofilms that grow on these devices. Being part of the normal skin microbiota, S...
prokaryotes, such as cyanobacteria, may form colonies held together by biofilms, and large colonies can create multilayered microbial mats. Others, such...
devices. The highly antibiotic-resistant phenotype and ability to form biofilms make S. haemolyticus a difficult pathogen to treat. Its most closely related...
there is a biofilm covered by a polysaccharide layer, which antibiotics typically cannot penetrate. Phage therapy can disperse the biofilm generated by...
other wastewater flows downward and causes a layer of microbial slime (biofilm) to grow, covering the bed of media. Aerobic conditions are maintained...
factors may include recurrent throat infections. Tonsil stones contain a biofilm composed of a number of different bacteria, calcium salts either alone...
The Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE) is an interdisciplinary research, education, and technology transfer institution located on the central campus...
The rotating cell biofilm reactor (RCBR) is a new type of biological process based on biofilm active sludge used in wastewaters treatment. RCBR reactors...
treating illness caused by biofilms, and prevent the formation of such biofilms and possibly weaken established biofilms. Disrupting the signaling process...
initiating the formation of a biofilm. By the end of the first week, the rich nutrients and ease of attachment into the biofilm allow secondary colonizers...
shown to inhibit biofilm formation. The formation of biofilms has been shown to alter the metabolism of microorganisms within the biofilm, consequently reducing...
patients. C. albicans is the most common fungal species isolated from biofilms either formed on (permanent) implanted medical devices or on human tissue...
such as farnesol, derived from the biofilm. It has been suggested that when both microbes are present, more biofilm matrix is produced, with a greater...
Furthermore, they are important for forming structure in biofilms; a rhlA mutant forms a flat biofilm. Biofilm dispersal is dependent on Rhammnolipids, however...
biofilm. Although, there are homogeneous biofilms that can form. For example, the plaque that forms on the surfaces of teeth is caused by a biofilm formation...
example of a biofilm is a biological slime, which may be found in lakes, rivers, rocks, etc. The utilization of single- or dual-species biofilms is a novel...
LN831034 and CP028841. Biofilms are a way for S. pyogenes, as well as other bacterial cells, to communicate with each other. In the biofilm gene expression for...
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