News tagged with biofilms
Handheld plasma flashlight rids skin of notorious pathogens
(PhysOrg.com) -- A group of Chinese and Australian scientists have developed a handheld, battery-powered plasma-producing device that can rid skin of bacteria in an instant.
Apr 04, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (23) |
16
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'Revolutionary' water treatment units on their way to Afghanistan
The United States Army has taken delivery of the first two units of a "revolutionary" waste-water treatment system that will clean putrid water within 24 hours and leave no toxic by-products, according to scientists at Sam ...
Feb 09, 2010 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
6
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Research team discovers new conducting properties of bacteria-produced wires
The discovery of a fundamental, previously unknown property of microbial nanowires in the bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens that allows electron transport across long distances could revolutionize nanotechnology ...
Aug 07, 2011 |
4.6 / 5 (9) |
4
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Microbial answer to plastic pollution?
Fragments of plastic in the ocean are not just unsightly but potentially lethal to marine life. Coastal microbes may offer a smart solution to clean up plastic contamination, according to Jesse Harrison presenting ...
Mar 28, 2010 |
4 / 5 (10) |
1
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Endogenous proteins found in a 70-million-year-old giant marine lizard
(PhysOrg.com) -- With their discovery, the scientists Johan Lindgren, Per Uvdal, Anders Engdahl, and colleagues have demonstrated that remains of type I collagen, a structural protein, are retained in a mosasaur ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 02, 2011 |
5 / 5 (8) |
4
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Bacteria and fungi keep some ancient Australian rock art colors vivid
(PhysOrg.com) -- New studies of 80 Bradshaw rock art works in the Kimberley region of Western Australia have shown their colors have not faded because the artworks are coated with a biofilm of bacteria and ...
Jan 06, 2011 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
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Researchers Develop New Geobacter Microbe Strain to Produce More Electricity, Open New Applications
(PhysOrg.com) -- In their most recent experiments with Geobacter, the sediment-loving microbe whose hairlike filaments help it to produce electric current from mud and wastewater, Derek Lovley and colleagues at the ...
Jul 28, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (8) |
1
A pesky bacterial slime reveals its survival secrets
By rethinking what happens on the surface of things, engineers at Harvard University have discovered that Bacillus subtilis biofilm colonies exhibit an unmatched ability to repel a wide range of liquids -- and ...
Jan 07, 2011 |
4.5 / 5 (8) |
0
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Bacteria breakthrough is heaven scent
Bacteria are well-known to be the cause of some of the most repugnant smells on earth, but now scientists have revealed this lowest of life forms actually has a sense of smell of its own.
Aug 15, 2010 |
5 / 5 (7) |
10
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Microbial hair -- it's electric: Specialized bacterial filaments shown to conduct electricity
(PhysOrg.com) -- Some bacteria grow electrical hair that lets them link up in big biological circuits, according to a University of Southern California biophysicist and his collaborators.
Oct 11, 2010 |
5 / 5 (6) |
3
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Streptococcus enzyme could compete with toothbrushes, dental floss
(PhysOrg.com) -- Investigators from Japan show in vitro that the bacterium Streptococcus salivarius, a non-biofilm forming, and otherwise harmless inhabitant of the human mouth, actually inhibits the formation of dental biofilms, ...
Apr 03, 2011 |
5 / 5 (6) |
0
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Disease-causing strains of Fusarium prevalent in plumbing drains
A study examining the prevalence of the fungus Fusarium in bathroom sink drains suggests that plumbing systems may be a common source of human infections.
Dec 21, 2011 |
5 / 5 (6) |
3
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Handheld plasma flashlight rids skin of bacteria instantly
A group of Chinese and Australian scientists, including CSIRO, have developed a handheld, battery-powered plasma-producing device that can rid skin of bacteria in an instant. The handheld plasma flashlight could be used in ...
Apr 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (6) |
14
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Study aims to induce recovery from ankylosing spondylitis
Chinese patients will soon have the opportunity to take part in a study of a novel therapy aimed at reversing the autoimmune disease, ankylosing spondylitis. Approximately 200 patients will be chosen to participate in a clinical ...
Medicine & Health / Medical research
Jul 21, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
1
Scientists discover, patent, sell waste-water tech
Sam Houston State University has applied for six federal patents, three of which have already been awarded, to protect the technology and engineering associated with a "revolutionary" packaged wastewater treatment system ...
Oct 26, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (6) |
0
Biofilm
A biofilm is an aggregate of microorganisms in which cells adhere to each other on a surface. These adherent cells are frequently embedded within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Biofilm EPS, which is also referred to as slime (although not everything described as slime is a biofilm), is a polymeric conglomeration generally composed of extracellular DNA, proteins, and polysaccharides. Biofilms may form on living or non-living surfaces and can be prevalent in natural, industrial and hospital settings. The microbial cells growing in a biofilm are physiologically distinct from planktonic cells of the same organism, which, by contrast, are single-cells that may float or swim in a liquid medium.
Microbes form a biofilm in response to many factors, which may include cellular recognition of specific or non-specific attachment sites on a surface, nutritional cues, or in some cases, by exposure of planktonic cells to sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics. When a cell switches to the biofilm mode of growth, it undergoes a phenotypic shift in behavior in which large suites of genes are differentially regulated.
For more information about Biofilm, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
