An attractive surface: gram-negative bacterial biofilms

TY - JOUR

T1 - An attractive surface

T2 - gram-negative bacterial biofilms

AU - Schembri, Mark

AU - Givskov, Michael

AU - Klemm, Per

PY - 2002

Y1 - 2002

N2 - In nature, most bacteria live in close association with surfaces as complex communities referred to as biofilms. Community members within these compact microbial consortia show extraordinary resistance to conventional antibiotics, biocides, and hydrodynamic shear forces when compared to their planktonic counterparts. The buildup of these surface-associated bacterial communities is a highly organized and complex process that requires many signal transduction mechanisms to orchestrate the different stages of development. In this review, we describe several types of signal transduction that Gram-negative bacteria employ during the adhesion and expansion stages of biofilm formation, as well as discuss quorum-sensing in relation to the production of virulence factors.

AB - In nature, most bacteria live in close association with surfaces as complex communities referred to as biofilms. Community members within these compact microbial consortia show extraordinary resistance to conventional antibiotics, biocides, and hydrodynamic shear forces when compared to their planktonic counterparts. The buildup of these surface-associated bacterial communities is a highly organized and complex process that requires many signal transduction mechanisms to orchestrate the different stages of development. In this review, we describe several types of signal transduction that Gram-negative bacteria employ during the adhesion and expansion stages of biofilm formation, as well as discuss quorum-sensing in relation to the production of virulence factors.

U2 - 10.1126/stke.2002.132.re6

DO - 10.1126/stke.2002.132.re6

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 12011496

SN - 1945-0877

VL - 2002

SP - re6

JO - Science Signaling

JF - Science Signaling

IS - 132

ER -