A biofilm is defined as a sessile community composed of microbial cells that are attached to a surface and are embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substance. Biofilms can be considered the major mode of growth for microbes. Whether in a streambed or on a catheter, these microbial communities provide a protected niche from harsh environments and predators and a source by which planktonic populations are shed to explore new microenvironments. In environmental spheres, microbial biofilms can impact the human condition for both good (e.g. bioremediation, biodegradation, biomineralization, waste water treatment, drinking water quality, etc.) and bad (biocorrosion, biofouling, etc.). In the case of human health, biofilms can provide a protective partner in preventing colonization and disease by pathogenic microbes in the oral, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and skin surfaces. However, the CDC and NIH have estimated that infections associated with biofilms also account for 56% and 80%, respectively, of all infections in modern healthcare facilities, which translates into 17,000,000 infections, 550,000 deaths, and $90 billion annually in the USA. Biofilm-embedded microbes enjoy a number of advantages over their planktonic counterparts including augmented nutrient acquisition and storage, a stable population that provides a continuous source of planktonic “explorers”, and tolerance to antimicrobial insult. Microbes attached to a surface and embedded within EPS are 100-1000 fold more resistant to anti-biofouling and antimicrobial agents. This tolerance is mediated through low metabolic levels, drastically down-regulated rates of cell division, and stress response gene expression of biofilm microbes. Initially biofilms were seen as uniform layers of microbes with a lackluster or undistinguished phenotype. However, the complex nature of biofilm development arose with the advent of advanced microscopy, molecular, and proteomic tools. These advancements have shown highly complex communities akin to multicellular organisms where circulatory channels, action potentials, nutritional gradients, quorum sensing, intercellular communication, genetic exchange, enhanced nutrient acquisition and storage, and interspecies cooperativity are the norm. However, the unique phenotype of biofilm may be their Achilles heel, provide researchers with a vast array of opportunities to exploit, prevent, and even destroy these microbial populations.

Biofilms: Slime at the surface

254th National Meeting (2017)

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