Microbial Biofilms

Abstract

Abstract A biofilm is a microbial community held together by extracellular attachment features known as extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in a distinct 3‐dimensional structure or “architecture.” In addition to the organic microbial and EPS components, biofilms generally also include abiotic components such as mineral particles or tooth or bone structures that serve as support and sometimes as sources of nutrients. Biofilms can occur in many environmental settings, from soils to streambeds to suspended particulates in estuaries. Biofilms are important not just in the environment but also in biomedicine; they can occur, for example, on the surfaces of hip and other joint replacements and in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. This article serves as an introduction to biofilms, which are covered in greater depth in a variety of other articles in the Encyclopedia , particularly within the realm of microbiology and water and wastewater technology.

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1002/9781119300762.wsts0174

Journal

Encyclopedia of Water

Year

2019