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Cited by 1,516Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBiochemical and Structural CharacterizationBacterial Genetics and Biotechnology

Bacterial adhesion: seen any good biofilms lately

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Dunne, W. Michael·2002·Clinical Microbiology Reviews
DOI 10.1128/cmr.15.2.155-166.2002PMC PMC118072
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Abstract

The process of surface adhesion and biofilm development is a survival strategy employed by virtually all bacteria and refined over millions of years. This process is designed to anchor microorganisms in a nutritionally advantageous environment and to permit their escape to greener pastures when essential growth factors have been exhausted. Bacterial attachment to a surface can be divided into several distinct phases, including primary and reversible adhesion, secondary and irreversible adhesion, and biofilm formation. Each of these phases is ultimately controlled by the expression of one or more gene products. Ultrastructurally, the mature bacterial biofilm resembles an underwater coral reef containing pyramidal or mushroom-shaped microcolonies of organisms embedded within an extracellular glycocalyx, with channels and cavities to allow the exchange of nutrients and waste. The biofilm protects its inhabitants from predators, dehydration, biocides, and other environmental extremes while regulating population growth and diversity through primitive cell signals. From a physiological standpoint, surface-bound bacteria behave quite differently from their planktonic counterparts. Recognizing that bacteria naturally occur as surface-bound and often polymicrobic communities, the practice of performing antimicrobial susceptibility tests using pure cultures and in a planktonic growth mode should be questioned. That this model does not reflect conditions found in nature might help explain the difficulties encountered in the management and treatment of biomedical implant infections.

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  • Autoaggregation can lead to microcolony formation and biofilm in two ways: single planktonic cells attach to the substrate and recruit other cells from suspension via autoagglutinins, or cells autoaggregate in solution and the aggregates settle on the substrate to initiate biofilm formation.

    “Autoaggregation can lead to microcolony formation and biofilm in two ways (Figure 3). In the first, single planktonic cells attach to the substrate. This depends on expression of surface adhesins and possibly also motility factors [46]. Following this, these cells recruit other cells from suspension via autoagglutinins, leading to microcolony formation [75],[94].”

    From Bacterial autoaggregation (2018) · cites this paper as [94]

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Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. In H. M. Lappin-Scott and J. W. Costerton (ed.), Microbial biofilms, 1st ed. Cambridge University Press, New York, N.Y.
  2. In Y. H. An and R. J. Friedman (ed.), Handbook of bacterial adhesion: principles, methods, and applications, 1st ed. Humana Press, Totowa, N.J.
  3. Gerke, C., A. Kraft, R. Süssmuth, O. Schweitzer, and F. Götz. 1998. Char- acterization of the N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activity in the biosyn- thesis of the Staphylococcus epidermidis intercellular adhesin. J. Biol. Chem. 273:18586-18593.
  4. In H. M. Lappin- Scott and J. W. Costerton (ed.), Microbial biofilms, 1st ed. Cambridge University Press, New York, N.Y.
  5. In H. M. Lappin-Scott and J. W. Costerton (ed.), Microbial biofilms. Cambridge University Press, New York, N.Y.
  6. In D. C. Savage and M. Fletcher (ed.), Bacterial adhesion: mechanisms and physiological significance. Plenum Press, New York, N.Y.
  7. In H. M. Lappin-Scott and J. W. Costerton (ed.), Microbial biofilms, 1st ed. Cambridge University Press, New York, N.Y.

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Authors
Dunne, W. M.
Affiliations
Barnes-Jewish Hospital (US)
Corresponding author
Dunne, W. Michael
Venue
Clinical Microbiology Reviews
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Published
2002-04
Volume
15
Issue
2
Pages
155-166
ISSN
  • 0893-8512 (ISSN-L)
  • 1098-6618
DOI
10.1128/cmr.15.2.155-166.2002
PMC
PMC118072
OpenAlex
W2128578655
Cited by
1,516
References
100
Citations by year
2026: 26 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 76 · 2022: 79 · 2021: 87 · 2020: 75 · 2019: 90 · 2018: 83 · 2017: 81 · 2016: 82 · 2015: 90 · 2014: 94 · 2013: 82 · 2012: 82
FWCI
11.12
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
journals.asm.org/non-commercial-tdm-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Clinical Microbiology Reviews (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Commons@Becker (Washington University School of Medicine) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Biochemical and Structural Characterization
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
Keywords
bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation, reversible adhesion, microcolonies, biofilm physiology, polymicrobial communities, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, bacterial survival strategies
MeSH terms
Bacterial Adhesion, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Biofilms

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