Multi-species biofilms
Bacteria seldom exist as free floating solitary cells. In most environments they live in association with surfaces as part of multi-species biofilms. From freshwater environments to marine systems to the human oral cavity, these communities exhibit properties that are distinct from free floating cells. As such, the amalgamation of different species within these communities can enhance antimicrobial resistance, promote the breakdown and corrosion of surfaces as well as improve growth through metabolic communication and the production of small diffusible signaling molecules. How these different species adhere to one another, communicate with one another and grow as a unified community is critical to understanding how to control these communities.
The aim of my laboratory is to understand the dynamics that promote the development and regulation of multi-species biofilm communities. Such an understanding will contribute to the development of novel and improved strategies to control biofilm communities in natural and man-made settings.
|
