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SUMMARY Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that live attached to surfaces. Biofilm formation has received much attention in the last decade, as it has become clear that virtually all types of bacteria can form biofilms and that this may be the preferred mode of bacterial existence in nature. Our current understanding of biofilm formation is based on numerous studies of myriad bacterial species. Here, we review a portion of this large body of work including the environmental signals and signaling pathways that regulate biofilm formation, the components of the biofilm matrix, and the mechanisms and regulation of biofilm dispersal.

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SummaryWe report that, in a simple, static culture system, wildtype Vibrio cholerae El Tor forms a three-dimensional bio®lm with characteristic water channels and pillars of bacteria. Furthermore, we have isolated and characterized transposon insertion mutants of V. cholerae that are defective in bio®lm development. The transposons were localized to genes involved in (i) the biosynthesis and secretion of the mannose-sensitive haemagglutinin type IV pilus (MSHA); (ii) the synthesis of exopolysaccharide; and (iii)¯agellar motility. The phenotypes of these three groups suggest that the type IV pilus and¯agellum accelerate attachment to the abiotic surface, the¯agellum mediates spread along the abiotic surface, and exopolysaccharide is involved in the formation of three-dimensional bio®lm architecture.