Biofilm

Biofilms are defined as sessile communities of microbial cells (e.g. bacteria, algae, fungi, protozoa) that are adherent to a substrate or a surface as well as to each other and are embedded in a slime layer (film) produced by them. Biofilms can be regarded as the "archetype of life". They are formed by various microorganisms, especially in water and water-containing systems, and represent a serious problem in humans in the case of chronic infections (e.g. colonisation of catheters, prostheses or tissue defects, e.g. leg ulcers). From the point of view of bacteria, biofilm formation enables bacteria to adapt to a changed environment to ensure their growth and survival. In everyday clinical practice, biofilms are perceived as a "slime layer" or "coating" on a structure (e.g. on the surface of an ulcer). P. aeruginosa and S. aureus in particular are capable of biofilm and thus play a special role in the antiobiotic treatment of a curis ulcer.