Biofilms use chemical weapons

This book details the widely accepted hypothesis that the majority of bacteria in virtually all ecosystems grow in matrix-enclosed biofilms. The author, who proposed this biofilm hypothesis, uses direct evidence from microscopy and from molecular techniques, presenting cogent reasons for moving beyond conventional culture methods that dominated microbiology throughout the last century. Bacteria grow predominantly in biofilms in all natural, engineered, and pathogenic ecosystems, and this book provides a solid basis for the understanding of bacterial processes in environmental, industrial, agricultural, dental and medical microbiology. Using a unique "ecological" perspective, the author explores the commensal and pathogenic colonization of human organ systems.

Fundamentals of Biofilm Research offers a system of compatible tools and measurements that can be used to conduct biofilm studies and consistently interpret their results. After extensive testing and refinement in labs and classrooms over twenty years, the authors introduce a coherent system of conceptual, physical, computational, and virtual tools to...

Biofilms in the Food and Beverage Industries reviews the formation of biofilms and the best practices for their control. When bacteria attach to and colonize the surfaces of food processing equipment and food products themselves, there is a risk that biofilms may form. Human pathogens in biofilms can be harder to remove than free microorganisms and may therefore pose a more significant food safety risk.

Part one considers fundamental aspects such as molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation by food-associated bacteria and methods for biofilm imaging, quantification and monitoring. Part two then reviews biofilm formation by different microorganisms. Chapters in Part three focus on significant issues related to biofilm prevention and removal. Contributions on biofilms in...

Throughout the biological world, bacteria thrive predominantly in surface attached, matrix enclosed, multicellular communities or biofilms, as opposed to isolated planktonic cells. This choice of lifestyle is not trivial, as it involves major shifts in the use of genetic information and cellular energy, and has profound consequences for bacterial physiology and survival. Growth within a biofilm can thwart immune function and antibiotic therapy and thereby complicate the treatment of infectious diseases, especially chronic and foreign device-associated infections. Modern studies of many important biofilms have advanced well beyond the descriptive stage, and have begun to provide molecular details of the structural, biochemical and genetic processes that drive biofilm formation and its...

Approximately 60% of all hospital-associated infections, over one million cases per year, are due to biofilms that have formed on indwelling medical devices. Device-related biofilm infections increase hospital stays and add over one billion dollars/year to U.S. hospitalization costs. Since the use and the types of indwelling medical devices commonly used in modern healthcare are continuously expanding, especially with an aging population, the incidence of biofilm infections will also continue to rise. The central problem with microbial biofilm infections of foreign bodies is their propensity to resist clearance by the host immune system and all antimicrobial agents tested to date. In fact, compared to their free floating, planktonic counterparts, microbes within a biofilm are 50 –...