Biofilm

A Historical Basis
A biofilm is an assemblage of surface-associated microbial cells that is enclosed in an extracellular polymeric substance matrix. Van Leeuwenhoek, using his simple microscopes, first observed microorganisms on tooth surfaces and can be credited with the discovery of microbial biofilms. Heukelekian and Heller (1) observed the “bottle effect” for marine microorganisms, i.e., bacterial growth and activity were substantially enhanced by the incorporation of a surface to which these organisms could attach. Zobell (2) observed that the number of bacteria on surfaces was dramatically higher than in the surrounding medium (in this case, seawater). However, a detailed examination of biofilms would await the electron microscope, which allowed high-resolution photomicroscopy at much higher magnifications than did the light microscope. Jones et al. (3) used scanning and transmission electron microscopy to examine biofilms on trickling filters in a wastewater treatment plant and showed them to be composed of a variety of organisms (based on cell morphology). By using a specific polysaccharide-stain called Ruthenium red and coupling this with osmium tetroxide fixative, these researchers were also able to show that the matrix material surrounding and enclosing cells in these biofilms was polysaccharide. As early as 1973, Characklis (4) studied microbial slimes in industrial water systems and showed that they were not only very tenacious but also highly resistant to disinfectants such as chlorine. Based on observations of dental plaque and sessile communities in mountain streams, Costerton et al. (5) in 1978 put forth a theory of biofilms that explained the mechanisms whereby microorganisms adhere to living and nonliving materials and the benefits accrued by this ecologic niche. Since that time, the studies of biofilms in industrial and ecologic settings and in environments more relevant for public health have basically paralleled each other. Much of the work in the last 2 decades has relied on tools such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or standard microbiologic culture techniques for biofilm characterization. Two major thrusts in the last decade have dramatically impacted our understanding of biofilms: the utilization of the confocal laser scanning microscope to characterize biofilm ultrastructure, and an investigation of the genes involved in cell adhesion and biofilm formation.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2732559/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2732559/

Biofilm

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