Читать книгу Oral Biofilms - Группа авторов - Страница 12

The term bacterium suggests a free-floating microorganism. Medical microbiology nearly always analyses dispersed single bacteria growing on agar plates or within a liquid to determine their susceptibility to antimicrobials. However, in reality, most microorganisms are not free floating. Instead, they exist together with others from the same species or from other genera attached to surfaces.

Fig. 1. Biofilm formation.

Biofilms are present nearly everywhere. They occur in the environment and they may cause medical problems. Dental plaque as a specialized oral biofilm was investigated relatively early. The following overview deals first with biofilms in general, and then with oral biofilms in particular.