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Biofilms – What Are They And Are They Important
S. Paterson
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Biofilms can be defined as a microbially derived sessile community of organisms that are irreversibly attached to a surface or interface or to each other; are embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances that they have produced, and exhibit an altered phenotype with respect to growth rate and gene transcription (Donlan and Costerton, 2002).
Biofilms are recognised as being clinically important in veterinary medicine, they are ubiquitous and seem to be able to form on virtually any non-shedding surface. They complicate many different diseases such as canine and feline urinary tract disease, gastrointestinal disease, periodontal disease, otitis, dermatitis and wounds. They have also been shown to be able to form on medical devices such as catheters and orthopaedic implants.
The initial phase of biofilm formation is attachment of the micro-organisms to a surface. After attachment, cell division starts and the micro-organisms start to form micro-colonies. The microbes then produce a protective, slimy extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) that provides a structural scaffold for the biofilm and binds it to the underlying surface. As biofilm maturation occurs multiple layers of cells build up and are incorporated into the matrix. The final structure is a complex three dimensional construction in which the matrix is interspersed ...
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