Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A complex structure adhering to surfaces that are regularly in contact with water, consisting of colonies of bacteria that secrete a mucilaginous protective coating in which they are encased. Biofilms, which are resistant to antibiotics and disinfectants, corrode pipes and cause diseases such as lung infections, but they can be used beneficially to treat sewage, industrial waste, and contaminated soil.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun biology, medicine A thin film of
mucus created by and containing a colony ofbacteria and othermicroorganisms .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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A biofilm is a community of bacteria that grows on a surface.
Researchers: Experiments in Space Result in Benefits on Earth 2011
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Toilets contain a bacterial line just below the water level called a biofilm.
You Being Beautiful Michael F. Roizen 2008
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Toilets contain a bacterial line just below the water level called a biofilm.
You Being Beautiful Michael F. Roizen 2008
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Bacteria have been found to create an invisible, strongly adhering, slimy layer or film of cells, called a biofilm, on even hard and smooth surfaces such as stainless steel.
HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005
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Bacteria have been found to create an invisible, strongly adhering, slimy layer or film of cells, called a biofilm, on even hard and smooth surfaces such as stainless steel.
HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005
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Bacteria have been found to create an invisible, strongly adhering, slimy layer or film of cells, called a biofilm, on even hard and smooth surfaces such as stainless steel.
HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005
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Bacteria have been found to create an invisible, strongly adhering, slimy layer or film of cells, called a biofilm, on even hard and smooth surfaces such as stainless steel.
HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005
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Specifically, targeting a sugar polymer on the bacterial surface that promotes development of the biofilm might be a strategy to prevent biofilm formation in the first place, he said.
PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories PhysOrg Team 2010
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Specifically, targeting a sugar polymer on the bacterial surface that promotes development of the biofilm might be a strategy to prevent biofilm formation in the first place, he said.
PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010
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Specifically, targeting a sugar polymer on the bacterial surface that promotes development of the biofilm might be a strategy to prevent biofilm formation in the first place, he said.
PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010
qroqqa commented on the word biofilm
For example, Hatfull has identified one that gives bacteria the ability to get together in communal groups called biofilms.
—New Scientist, 30 August 2008
August 30, 2008