Biofilms are densely packed communities of microbial cells that grow on living or inert surfaces and surround themselves with secreted polymers. Many bacterial species form biofilms, and their study has revealed them to be complex and diverse. The structural and physiological complexity of biofilms has led to the idea that they are coordinated and cooperative groups, analogous to multicellular organisms.1
Researchers have estimated that 60-80 percent of microbial infections in the body are caused by bacteria growing as a biofilm – as opposed to planktonic (free-floating) bacteria.
There is a perception that single-celled organisms单细胞有机体 are asocial缺乏社交性的，自我中心的, but that is misguided. When bacteria are under stress—which is the story of their lives—they team up and form this collective called a biofilm. If you look at naturally occurring biofilms, they have very complicated architecture. They are like cities with channels for nutrients to go in and waste to go out.
有一个误区：单细胞有机体是自我为中心，缺乏社交性的。当细菌面对压力，它们会组队形成生物膜。生物膜有非常复杂机构。生物膜就像一个城市，拥有通道运输营养，排除废物。
Andre Levchenko, PhD, Johns Hopkins University