Chapter 9 Flashcards
What are biofilms?
Biofilms are a group or community of microorganisms that work together as a unit and produce a polymeric matrix
Can be homogeneous or heterogeneous in species
What are two important aspects we need to consider in communities?
- Structure of Community
- Boundary of Community
What us the structure Community?
- The relative diversity of the microorganisms
- The type of organisms that occur
- how many diverse organisms are present
Where do we find biofilms
Everywhere. Majority of the microorganisms on earth live in biofilms, including the gut intestinal and the surface of kitchens and skin
Examples of where we can find biofilms
Kitchen Skin Gut Mouth Water Subsurface
What is a biomat?
A biomat is a biofilm that has different layers of microorganisms and the functions they perform
They consist of microniches
Top can be aerobic
Bottom can be anaerobic etc
What kind of methods are used to analyze microorganisms like biofilms and why?
Metagenomics
Because culture dependent methods do not a allow for more than 1% of bacteria to be cultured under lab conditions with an agar plate.
Better to use sequence analyzing methods
What is metagenomics
The use of culture independent methods to study and analyze communities of microorganisms by constructing a genome and inferring their functions there after
Why are biofilms potentially dangerous to humans
Because they have the capability of causing diseases
They can also learn the host’s mechanisms then use it for the next host
Biofilms can clump up together with pathogenic species in them
Huge threat to the gut when they have adhesion and invasin properties for colonization
How does quorum sensing work
Biofilm is formed
Causes genetic expression changes
Need to reach a certain threshold of signals released
That will cause gene expression change as a result of the community
If the threshold is not met, no gene expression is changed
