CEE Seminar – Biofilm viscoelasticity promotes persistence

Biofilms are viscoelastic materials. Biofilm viscoelasticity is an evolved property of these communities, and the production of multiple extracellular polymeric slime components appears to be a mechanism to ensure the development of biofilms with complex viscoelastic properties. However the importance of this attribute to the survival and persistence of these microbial communities is yet to be fully realized. Ongoing work in the Gloag lab has focused on understanding biofilm mechanics and placing this knowledge in the context of biofilm survival, particularly in the context of biofilm-associated infections. This presentation will focus on recent research focusing on the hypothesis that biofilm viscoelasticity enables resistance to both mechanical and chemical methods of clearance. We conclude that biofilm viscoelasticity contributes to the virulence of chronic biofilm infections.