Biofilms in Water, Its role and impact in human disease transmission

Abstract

Understanding the mechanism of biofilm formation is the first step before determining its function and, thereby, the impact and role in the environment. Cell to cell communication, i.e., quorum sensing, is a key factor in the initiation of biofilm, yet extensive studies accomplished during the past few years have elucidated the genetics and biochemistry of biofilm formation. Occurrence of viable but nonculturable bacteria, including Vibrio cholerae in biofilms has been reported and most likely such cells were overlooked previously because appropriate methods of detection were not employed. In fact, for this reason discovery and investigation of this important bacterial ecological niche in the environment were impeded.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA491961

Entities

People

  • Anwar Huq
  • Chris A. Whitehouse
  • Christopher J. Grim
  • Munirul Alam
  • Rita R. Colwell

Organizations

  • United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacteria
  • Biochemistry
  • Biotechnology
  • Cell Physiological Processes
  • Chemistry
  • Computational Biology
  • Detection
  • Drinking Water
  • Environment
  • Genetics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbial Genetics
  • Microbiomes
  • Microorganisms
  • Pathogenic Bacteria
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Biology
  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Microbial Pathology
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology