Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 25, 2026

A Platform of Anti-biofilm Assays Suited to the Exploration of Natural Compound Libraries
Published on: December 27, 2016
Bacterial biofilms: from the natural environment to infectious diseases
Luanne Hall-Stoodley1, J William Costerton, Paul Stoodley
1Department of Veterinary Molecular Microbiology, Departments of Microbiology and Civil Engineering, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA.
Abstract:
Biofilms--matrix-enclosed microbial accretions that adhere to biological or non-biological surfaces--represent a significant and incompletely understood mode of growth for bacteria. Biofilm formation appears early in the fossil record (approximately 3.25 billion years ago) and is common throughout a diverse range of organisms in both the Archaea and Bacteria lineages, including the 'living fossils' in the most deeply dividing branches of the phylogenetic tree. It is evident that biofilm formation is an ancient and integral component of the prokaryotic life cycle, and is a key factor for survival in diverse environments. Recent advances show that biofilms are structurally complex, dynamic systems with attributes of both primordial multicellular organisms and multifaceted ecosystems. Biofilm formation represents a protected mode of growth that allows cells to survive in hostile environments and also disperse to colonize new niches. The implications of these survival and propagative mechanisms in the context of both the natural environment and infectious diseases are discussed in this review.
Related Concept Videos
Biofilms
Bacterial Signaling
Colonisation of Pathogens
Reservoir of Infection
Microbial Mats
The Oral Microbiota

