biofilm, aggregate of bacteria held together by a mucuslike matrix of carbohydrate that adheres to a surface. Biofilms can form on the surfaces of liquids, solids, and living tissues, such as those of animals and plants. Organisms in biofilms often display substantially different properties from the same organism in the individual, or free-living (planktonic), state. Communities form when individual organisms, which may be of the same or different species, adhere to and accumulate on a surface; this process is called adsorption. Following a period of growth and reproduction, the organisms produce an extracellular matrix consisting of carbohydrates called polysaccharides. This matrix serves to hold the bacteria together and to irreversibly bind them to the surface.
Bacteria that have aggregated into biofilms can communicate information about population size and metabolic state. This type of communication is called quorum sensing and operates by the production of small molecules called autoinducers, or pheromones. The concentration of quorum-sensing molecules—most commonly peptides or acylated homoserine lactones (AHLs; special signaling chemicals)—is related to the number of bacteria of the same or different species that are in the biofilm and helps coordinate the behaviour of the biofilm.
Biofilms are advantageous to bacteria because they provide a nutrient-rich environment that facilitates growth and because they confer resistance to antibiotics. Biofilms can cause severe infections in hospitalized patients; the formation of biofilms in these instances is typically associated with the introduction into the body of foreign substrates, such as artificial implants and urinary catheters. Biofilms also form on the thin films of plaque found on teeth, where they ferment sugars and starches into acids, causing the destruction of tooth enamel. In the environment, biofilms fill an important role in the breakdown of organic wastes by filtering wastes from water and by removing or neutralizing contaminants in soil. As a result, biofilms are used to purify water in water treatment plants and to detoxify contaminated areas of the environment.