Definition of biofilm
: a thin usually resistant layer of microorganisms (such as bacteria) that form on and coat various surfaces
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Recent Examples of biofilm from the Web
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In the bathroom, for instance, water that comes into contact with a hard surface can create what's called a biofilm, a slimy film of microorganisms.
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One of her colleagues, Cynthia Sears, recently received a grant to study biofilms—the colonies of bacteria that grow in the colon and can either promote or prevent cancer growth.
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They are called stromatolites, a microbial mat formed in shallow water by trapping and binding sedimentary grain by biofilms.
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But the biofilms were made up of just two species of bacteria, B. fragilis and a strain of E. coli.
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Good news has been reported by those engaged in the struggle to preserve one of Washington’s most iconic monuments against the ravages of a kind of microscopic predator: biofilm.
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The researchers performed a second experiment, offering the coral bits of plastic covered with a biofilm.
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Others challenged the findings, suggesting that the structures seen under the scope might be bacterial biofilms, and that the mass spectrometry results might reflect contamination with modern bird collagen.
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In our study, this recipe turned out to be a potent antistaphylococcal agent, which repeatedly killed established S. aureus biofilms – a sticky matrix of bacteria adhered to a surface – in an in vitro infection model.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'biofilm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of biofilm
1975
Medical Dictionary
medical Definition of biofilm
: a thin usually resistant layer of microorganisms (as bacteria) that form on and coat various surfaces (as of catheters or water pipes)
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