GETTING A GRIP ON BACTERIAL SLIME.

BIOFILMS; MICROBIAL ecology; MICROBIAL adhesion; BACTERIAL ecology; MICROBIAL aggregation; CATHETERS

The article reports on efforts by scientists to look for ways to fight or prevent biofilm formation. Researchers have found that biofilms play an important role in many medical conditions, such as kidney stones, chronic ear and urinary-tract infections, and gum disease. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in Atlanta now believe biofilms are involved in 65% of all human bacterial infections. And roughly 5% percent of the patients who annually receive catheters and stents develop serious infections from biofilms growing on the devices. Biofilms also can be found on the hulls of boats, in water filters, and in drinking-water pipes, where they can do great harm.