Factors that Affect Detachment of Bacteria from Biofilm and Research Proposal

Factors that Affect Detachment of Bacteria from Biofilm and Interactions between Free Bacteria and Those in the Biofilm - Research Proposal Example They contain a range of different microbes including, but not limited to microalgae, protozoan and bacteria. Biofilms can contain pathogenic forms of microbes . They have been proposed as a mechanism of defense for bacteria, and consist of a matrix that is able to adhere to liquid or solid surfaces . Biofilms have been shown to be more than 500 times more resistant than free bacteria to antibacterial agents . Because of their high level of resistance and stability they are able to provide effective reservoirs for pathogens, as well as survival advantages and potential increases to their virulence. Biofilms have been linked to some human disease and chronic infections, including kidney stones and cystic fibrosis infections of the lungs . More than 99% of all bacteria that is present in the world exists in biofilms , as a consequence the presence of biofilms and their role with pathogenic bacteria is an important area of study. Bacteria within and exterior to biofilms are different tha n one another in a number of ways. As well as increased resistance to antibacterial agents, bacteria within biofilms exist in an environment of cooperatively that has a primitive circulatory system and exhibit a primitive form of homeostasis . Bacteria attach to a biofilms by approaching closely so that a brief association is formed between the bacterium and either the surface or other bacteria already attached.