FEATURE
Biofilms and surfaces The need to rethink cleaning methods in the battle against microbes.
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Words Dr Greg Whiteley
he term “biofilm,” with specific respect to microbiological applications, was coined by the late Professor J. William (Bill) Costerton, of the University of Montana. Professor Costerton observed that bacteria and other cellular microorganisms often create their own living space to support their long-term survival, propagation, and spread. And with that, Bill Costerton opened a new arm of the science of microbiology. Of course, the “biofilms” have always been present with microbes. Bacterial species are prolific in forming biofilms across a dazzling array of natural environments. You can find bacterial biofilms in any watercourse, but they are also forming biofilms within your body, all of the time. In fact, your own body relies upon bacterial biofilms for normal survival, human health, and even welfare.
MICROBES AND THE BODY Once a newborn baby leaves its mother’s womb, it starts to encounter common bacterial species such as E. coli, which quickly moves to colonize the young infant’s gut, thus assisting with normal digestion. The skin of the newborn is also quickly covered with bacteria and other microbes which become established and play an important role in the maintenance of healthy skin. These bacteria and other microbes are called “microflora.” They live in a happy symbiosis with us all of our lives. Although we have a large base population of happy bugs, not all of them are good, and sometimes even the good bugs can behave badly. When microbes behave badly, the human body repels them with what we know as an immune response. That is, our body fights back against the bad behavior to stop a minor infection into becoming a major disaster that could end in significant damage to our bodies, or even death. 44 INCLEAN September / October 2020