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biofilm
/ ī′ō-ĭ′ /
- A complex structure adhering to surfaces that are regularly in contact with water, consisting of colonies of bacteria and usually other microorganisms such as yeasts, fungi, and protozoa that secrete a mucilaginous protective coating in which they are encased. Biofilms can form on solid or liquid surfaces as well as on soft tissue in living organisms, and are typically resistant to conventional methods of disinfection. Dental plaque, the slimy coating that fouls pipes and tanks, and algal mats on bodies of water are examples of biofilms. While biofilms are generally pathogenic in the body, causing such diseases as cystic fibrosis and otitis media, they can be used beneficially in treating sewage, industrial waste, and contaminated soil.
Example Sentences
But in Paradise, several systems had to be repeatedly flushed because most water pipes are coated on the inside with biofilm, microorganisms that attach to surfaces “that absorb and hold on to all the toxic chemicals,” she said.
These bacteria are more resistant to drugs when they live in a biofilm -- microorganisms that stick together and are embedded in a protective slime.
Her research is examining ways to remove the protective coat and expose the bacteria so it can be killed by the body's immune system or antibiotics that currently cannot pass through the biofilm.
The study is the first to utilize microfluidic chambers to monitor pathogen growth and biofilm formation under conditions mimicking the plant's vascular system, said Siri.
Biofilm is a slimy layer of various types of microorganisms that grows on wet surfaces.
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