Bacterial Biofilm Material Properties Enable Removal and Transfer by Capillary Peeling.

ABSTRACT: Biofilms, surface-attached communities of bacterial cells, are a concern in health and in industrial operations because of persistent infections, clogging of flows, and surface fouling. Extracellular matrices provide mechanical protection to biofilm-dwelling cells as well as protection from chemical insults, including antibiotics. Understanding how biofilm material properties arise from constituent matrix components and how these properties change in different environments is crucial for designing biofilm removal strategies. Here, using rheological characterization and surface analyses of Vibrio cholerae biofilms, it is discovered how extracellular polysaccharides, proteins, and cells function together to define biofilm mechanical and interfacial properties. Using insight gained from our m

SUBMITTER: Yan J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8865467 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature